You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
by Shadows Little Miss
Summary: Steve calls Tony after finding a boy in a HYDRA lab who has a file stating that he is the son of Tony Stark. FORMALLY TITLED: Still Here
1. Chapter 1

**Soooo...this is my first full-blown fic (not just a one-shot) when it comes to the MCU. Go easy on me please! This idea came to me while I was at work, and I'm not sure how it ill pan out...but I thought i would just give it a go.**

 **I know this chapter is super short, but I just wanted to get started on this...so think of this as a short prologue or something... hehe.**

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With Tony's track record of never sleeping it figured that someone would call him in the middle of the night, the one night that he decided to actually go to bed at a decent time. Tony opened his bleary eyes and tried to make out the shadows in his darkened room as his tired mind raced, trying to figure out who in the hell would call him at whatever time this was.

"Friday, time," he muttered, rubbing his face with a calloused hand as the lights in the room began to fade up.

"It is currently 2:31 a.m. boss," the AI responded before adding. "Captain Rogers is on the line."

Well, that woke Tony up.

The man shifted quickly, his head snapping over to the nightstand next to his bed that held the cellphone he received for Rogers after their bout in Serbia. He always figured that if Steve wanted to get ahold of him, he would use that phone. A call directly to his phone seemed...to simple? Afterall, he was a war-criminal now, it just seemed too risky. Yet here Tony was, staring at a silent nightstand.

With stomach churning, Tony let out a heavy sigh. A million scenarios for Steve calling were running through his head, but he couldn't think of a possible reason. So, he did what any normal person would do, and just answered the phone.

"Accept Call," Tony muttered as he fully sat up in bed, pushing his hair away from his forehead as he rubbed his face. There was a confirmation from Friday, and then silence loomed over the speaker.

Tony could hear breathing, accompanied by standard background noises. And was that...whimpering? It sounded light and too high pitched to be Steve, but-

"Tony?" Steve's voice sounded, breaking Tony from his thoughts.

"Cap." Tony said, doing his best to forget that the last time they had talked had been months ago in Serbia. "What can I do for you? This must be some emergency, seeing as it's some ungodly hour and you're calling me directly," he said, holding his breath as he waited for a response.

"I know it's late, I'm sorry," Steve said, trying not to beat around the bush. "It's just...Well," he took a breath. "I'm not sure how to say this but I figured you should know. I don't want you to think I'm trying to keep this from you but-"

"Spit it out Rogers," Tony said calmly, though his heart was beating faster at the possible thing that he should know about.

"Look...Sam, Clint, and I have been trying to take down hidden Hydra bases. You know, do as much as we can to help out...and. Jesus. Tony," Steve paused and Tony could still hear the whimpering in the background. "Tony, we found a base where they were experimenting on people. Like Wanda and Pietro. But they weren't all voluntary. God. Tony, there were kids here."

Tony's mind was working in overdrive as he heard Steve speak. Okay, there were people there. So Steve needed them to be safely extracted and- kids? There were kids? What the hell did that mean? Tony was about to ask but Steve continued on. "Almost all of them are dead or they're in pretty bad shape. We found five that are alive."

Tony let out a heavy sigh, combing his hand through his hair. "Okay. Okay. I'll send a jet down with some medical. We can get these people out and get them the help they need. Just give me your location. I'll-"

"Tony," Steve pressed. His voice was tense, shaking a little bit, and the way Steve said his name sent shivers up the inventors spine. "These kids have files on them. There is one here and his file says he's your son."

Tony's eyes grew wide and he let out a choked breath. "Wait. What?"


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I have been pretty busy lately but I really wanted to get this chapter out by the end of the week. I honestly just wanted to write all the fluffy scenes with Tony and Peter, but I really needed to do this chapter. I know my writing is crap, I apologize. Anyways, if you still want to read...well...enjoy!**

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Since the day Steve had woken up from the ice, he had been fighting a battle. Sure, he had been out of commission for seventy years, but to him it seemed like he had constantly been on the go. And since the battle of New York, he had kept very busy. In the last eight years he was working for SHIELD, the Avengers, or doing his own thing. So the act of laying low didn't sit right with him. And all of this started ever since he had rescued his team from the Raft and branded a war-criminal. Steve had to do something.

So the soldier rounded up his teammates who were willing to help and they tossed around ideas of what they could do. In the end, they agreed on taking down HYDRA bases that were either still running, or hidden. They would simply hop from one base to another, eliminate the threats, save people if need be, and then sift through all of the files and information that was left over. It wasn't like SHIELD was going to do it. And Steve couldn't leave with a good conscience, knowing that all of that information was up for grabs to whoever wandered onto the site.

So the team collected it all. Normally the group would camp at the base for a few days and then send the files they had found back to Wakanda where T'Challa would keep it safe. From there they would spend a few weeks in Wakanda or Clint's farm to recharge before heading out to the next location.

At first finding the bases was difficult. But once they found one location there were usually other coordinates in the files. That was how they found their latest target. This one seemed suspicious, though. Normally locations could be found on computers, but this one was only written down in a notebook that they had found. In fact, most of the group thought it didn't exist. Steve had to beg the group to go check it out, and in the end only Sam and Clint had come along.

It was a small location in the Olympic Peninsula area of Washington state. Once they arrived the three men spent most of the day navigating through the forest until they came upon a building that was no bigger than a small house.  
"This is what we spent all day looking for?" Sam had asked.

"Let's just check it out," Steve insisted.

In the end, it was much larger than any of the men would have expected. The location was heavily guarded from the inside. It had guards posing as park rangers in the front room, but as soon as they saw the three enter the front door, they jumped into action. Of Course the group took them down with no problem, and from there they moved through the building. They quickly found a staircase that led them to a lower level where they found room after room of HYDRA agents. At first there were the standard rooms: Labs, rooms with computers, living areas. But then things began to change drastically. Steve definitely knew something was wrong when he found a small closet-like room that held three female bodies. They couldn't have been dead more that a few days and the sight made Steve's stomach churn.

The find had put him on edge as he swept his side of the base, and he now began to think that perhaps they would find people that were being held there against their will.

Things got worse, though, when Steve walked through the door at the end of the soon as the door opened Steve saw three scientists a good twenty yards away crowded around a table. In the center of the table stood a naked child who was no more than a year old, being held by their arm so they were standing up. The girl was crying as the men poked at her with some device and her crying continued as each scientist stopped to look at the person who had entered.

Soon their shouts joined the crying as the men dropped her back onto the table before they bolted for another door at the back of the room.  
Steve saw red as he watched the girl fall to the table as the men carelessly left her alone. They were obviously more focused on their own lives and Steve was not going to let them get away. So the man jumped into action, he first grabbed the child and lowered her to the ground so she would not fall from the table before he took off after the three scientists. The first two he outright killed. He had hit them rather hard, and the blow had damaged organs, killing them quickly. The last one, though, he made sure to keep alive. Unfortunately there was a cyanide pill hidden in their molar that they used, and soon, they were dead as well.

Steve was alone.

"Sam. Clint. West Wing. I need you here now," Steve called over his com as he began to make his way back towards the small child he had left at the front of the wing. But as he walked, something made him stop.

"Hello?" he heard a female voice call from behind one of the doors he was walking by. "Hello? Is someone there?" He heard again. Her voice was shaking and Steve's blood ran cold when he heard just how young the girl sounded. "Help me please! Someone's in here!" She said as her voice rose into a panic and she began to bang on the door.

"I'm here to help miss," Steve said has he strode towards the door before putting and hand on the handle. Of course it was locked. "I'm going to get you out of here,okay? Just bare with me for a moment," He said before literally ripping the door from it's hinges.

As the door came off, Steve came face to face with a blonde girl who stood a few feet away from the door. She was young, maybe sixteen, but definitely no more than eighteen. And she looked sick. Her skin was pale and sticky like she had a fever or had been sweating a lot. Bags hung under her hazel eyes as she looked at Steve and the soldier noticed that she was very pregnant.

The two stood there in shock, staring at each other before the girl rushed forward and gave Steve a hug.

"Oh my god," She cried, her body shaking as she held on to Steve tightly. "I-I'm being saved by Fucking Captain America," She said before burying her head into Steve's shoulder. Steve was obviously very taken back by what was happening, but was quick to snap out of it as he rested a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"What's your name?" he asked, trying to comfort her.

"Bailey," She stammered, trying to catch her breath.

"Okay Bailey, we're going to get you out of here. You hear me?" Steve said as he began to shuffle down the hall with the girl in his grasp. "Just follow me and we'll get you home." As soon as they passed another door, though, the girl stopped.  
"The others," she said as she pulled away and walked over to the door. 'We have to get them out too," She insisted. Of course Steve couldn't say no.

When he opened the door he expected to find another pregnant girl, or an adult, but instead he found a little boy sitting in the corner of the dark room. He was small and definitely a toddler, maybe two or three. His back was towards the door but he was quick to turn around.

His large brown eyes snapped over to Steve's and he felt like the kid as looking into his soul. His brown hair was lazily cut as some of it was much longer than other strands that framed his dirty round face. As Steve observed the room he noted that it looked like the boy had been drawing something in the dirt floor. The thing that really hit Steve, though, was the smell. It was obvious that the child was using this small cell as a bathroom and the only thing Steve could think was that this kid looked like a wild animal.

"Hey Pete," Bailey said as she took a step towards the boy. "This nice man is going to get us out of here and take us to a safe place. Doesn't that sound nice," She said as the boy turned his gaze to the girl. He stared at her silently before looking back to Steve, and then back to Bailey. "He's a nice man. He won't hurt us," Bailey insisted as she continued to walk towards the little boy.

"Safe?" The boy asked. It was only one word but it surprised Steve how articulate the kid seemed.

"That's right, safe," Bailey said, trying her best to put on a smile. The small boy looked at her hand and then back at Steve before taking the offer. The two wrapped their hands together and Bailey slowly led the boy out of his small prison.

"Steve!" a voice suddenly called from down the hall. The super soldier snapped his head up to see both Sam and Clint coming towards him and the other. And in Clint's arms he held the girl that the scientists had been messing with.

"What the hell is this place?" Sam asked as he looked at the boy and girl who stood beside Steve. "Who are they?" he then asked, motioning towards the pair. As he spoke the boy became visibly nervous and moved behind Bailey, using her as a shield from the strangers.

"I'm pretty sure their testing people here. Like Wanda and Pietro," Steve explained. "Though I'm sure these-" Steve cut off and looked at the two before continuing. '-kids are not here willingly."

"They're not just testing on people," Bailey interjected as she looked at the three men. "I think this is some sort of breeding program for super-humans," she explained. "I mean...I haven't been here long, not like Peter here," She said, wiggling the hand the the boy was holding. "They took me off the streets like….eight months ago. I don't understand a lot about what they were doing, but they have been getting a lot of girls pregnant. I'm pretty sure none of the girls have survived after their babies are born though. Actually, most of the babies don't survive either."

All the men looked at each other in shock as each one tried to think about what the next step would be after hearing information like that.

"Now that's fucked up," Clint said as his eyebrows rose up.

"You're telling me," Sam said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"There are others that need help though, I'm sure," Bailey said as she looked down the hall. "I haven't heard much noise from down our hall...but you should check. I know there are a few more cells down that way," she said, pointing to her left.  
"Have you cleared everything?" Steve asked as he turned more towards the men.

"Yeah, everyone is taken care of," Clint replied.

"Okay. Clint, take these two and the baby down to the living quarters. Get them something to eat, see if you can find a change of clothes and get them a shower or something, let them rest. After you have that I need you to go back up top and stand guard, make sure no one else get's in the building. Sam and I will find the others and bring them to to your location," Steve said as he turned and looked at Bailey. "Can you stay with these two by yourself for a little bit while we get the others?" He asked. "If it's too much I'll have Sam come with you as well," he offered.

"No, I can do that," the girl said with a shaky nod.

"Alright," Steve said with a kind smile as he put a firm hand on Bailey's shoulder. "I'll stay with you once everyone is accounted for." And with that he turned to Sam. "After that, Can you start collecting information while I arrange for everyone to be extracted?"

"You got it!"

It had been a long day, and it was well into the night when Steve plopped down on a couch in one of the living quarter. The soldier ran a hand over his face as he tried to wrap his mind around what he had seen that day. In the end, there were only five survivors. The infant girl, Bailey, Peter, a two year old boy who no one could identify, and another pregnant teen named Samantha. They had all been fed, cleaned, and now they rested in the other room while Steve and Sam tried to figure out what to do.

Unfortunately the survivor number was drastically smaller than the ones who were dead. Half were women and girls who were either shot in the head, starved to death, or seemed to have died from complications while giving birth. The others were new born babies or toddlers.

With a survivor number of five, there were twenty seven deaths.

And that wasn't all. Through Sam's digging, Steve had learned that they were in fact running a breeding operation for enhanced individuals. Some girls had gotten pregnant just so the scientists could test on the children while they were still in the womb, while others had become pregnant with certain men's children. He had read file after file about these women and wondered how in the world HYDRA had gotten their hands on semen, or any DNA from the other subject.

The one thing that made his head spin, though, was when he read about the women who had died while carrying his children. Of course none of those children had survived. Steve couldn't tell if he felt relieved, sad, or upset. But one thing he did know was that he felt responsible, even if it wasn't his fault.

The Captain was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when Sam came into the room holding a stack of folders. They looked liked folders that one would seen in a doctor's office, and each had a picture pinned to the front.

"I found everyone's file," he said as he set the five folders on the coffee table before sitting down across from Steve. The blonde leaned forward and leafed through each vaguely. As he came to the last one Sam cleared his throat and leaned forward before tapping the top of the file. "You really need to look at this one."

Steve looked at Sam for a long moment before looking back down at the folder in his hand. The picture on the front was of the little boy named Peter, and Steve's interest grew. So he opened it up, and read carefully.

" Subject 009 - "Peter". Born August 27, 2013. Mother: Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker. Father: Tony Stark."

The file suddenly fell to the floor and papers scattered everywhere as Steve sharply looked up at Sam.

"No. No way," Steve said with wide eyes as Sam nodded slowly.

"There is no way to know for sure right now but-" Sam began but Steve was up in a flash and stalking towards the door into the other room.

As Steve tossed open the door he noticed everyone was sleeping...except for the boy that he was looking for. Peter simply sat on the black couch, next to Bailey who was passed out. His large eyes met Steve's and it looked like he had been expecting someone to walk through the door. Steven was slightly taken back by this, but pushed it to the back of his mind as he looked the boy over. And the more he looked, the more he could see Tony in the boy. His nose, the color of his hair and- those eyes!  
Steve slowly raised a hand and waved slightly at Peter before backing through the door and closing it. The blonde didn't even waste time as he looked over at Sam and said, "I have to tell Tony."

"Hey, I hear ya'! After we get them out I can-" he began, but Steve cut him off with a shake of his head.

"No, I need to tell him. Now."

"Wait. You can't just call Stark now. If you do he'll know our location and then-"

"Sam," Steve preseed. "I have to do this," Steve said as his voice began to shake. Just the thought of talking to Tony again put him on edge. After all, the last time he talked to him, or even seen him, was in Serbia, and now he would be calling to tell him this kind of news? This situation was definitely getting him worked up.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I'm all for telling Stark, but you absolutely cannot call him from here," Sam protested.

"And why not?" Steve retorted, his voice growing in volume.

"Because," Sam suddenly shouted. "Clint and I just got out of that prison. We are not going back, especially when Clint has his family. I'm sorry but if you call Stark, Clint and I will be gone by the time he gets here." Sam suddenly finished yelling, only to have the sound of a baby crying from the other side of the closed door. Shit, they had woken a kid up. "You can deal with this on your own," he hissed.

"That's fine," Steve said as he dug a phone out of his pocket. "Just leave. I'll take care of this myself," He said. With that Steve strode towards the door and into the room here all the children resided, leaving Sam alone.

He had to make a phone call.


	3. Chapter 3

**So a few things here:**

 **1.) I would really like to update weekly but right now I am starting a new job so things are a little busy. Getting a chapter out every two weeks is a little hard, but hopefully things will change so it can come out regularly. Sorry about that!**  
 **2.) I wish this chapter was longer, I'm sorry! I just wanted to get an update out to all you lovely people!**  
 **3.) I had a general idea about where this fic would go, but I wasn't really sure after about 4/5 chapters worth. Now I have a good idea, but I'm thinking about changing the name of the fic. (Honestly I didn't know what to name it in the first place) Thoughts on this? Please let me know!**

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To say that Tony had a panic attack was an understatement. He hardly let out a reply as he struggled to suck in air, but he successfully did so, telling Steve he would be there before promptly hanging up. It took him a while, but slowly he began to compose himself. After that, his brain was running into overdrive.

Tony immediately thought about how he would get there, and seeing as he was taking additional people from the location, he obviously needed a jet. But a jet would take too long. Tony didn't know if he could stay sane the entire flight. It was too much time to think, and he needed answers. In the end, the billionaire pinpointed Steve's location (thanks to F.R.I.D.A.Y.) and set up a jet to meet him there. It had a pilot and medical staff because by the way Steve was talking, they would need some help. After that, he took his suit.

Even though Tony opted for the faster method of travel, there was still time to think. So many questions were running through his mind. How had someone received the means to make a child that shared his DNA? How old was the kid? Had the kid been experimented on? Was he hurt? Was he functional for his age? And soon Tony was going down another rabbit hole of questions like: Where am I going to keep him? What if he needs major help? Can I even do this? Can I raise a child on my own?

Different questions kept circulating through Tony's mind and before he could answer any of them, he found himself outside of a small building on the edge of Washington State. He stared at the building for a minute before removing himself from the suit, only leaving a gauntlet on his right hand for protection. After All, this was a HYDRA base.

Tony slowly opened the door and peeked his head inside as he looked around the room. It looked like an ordinary station that a park ranger would stay in. It was dark, though, and Tony used the gauntlet as a light as he helt his hand in front of him. As he moved further into the darkness, though, he heard a sound to his left and quickly shifted over, gauntlet ready to fire.

The light shone inches away from a face that belonged to Clint Barton. And from the soft glow of the gauntlet, Tony could see that there was an arrow about four inches in front of his face. The two men stood there only staring at eachother before Clint lowered the bow and arrow.

"Stark," He said with a nod as Tony lowered his hand.

"Barton," Tony replied as he let out a held breath. "You're still hanging around with America's sweetheart?" Tony asked. "Sorry, I meant America's most wanted."

"You kind of have to when you're on that list too," Clint said drily as he leaned against the wall. "You look well," He then mentioned, though he could only see the outline of Tony in the dark.

"You too bird-brain," Tony said. And he meant it. "Laura and the kids doing well?" He asked. He figured that's where Clint would be. The house was never on any files, and there was no way Tony would give up Clint's secret like that. He wasn't that heartless.

"Lila broke her arm last week, so Laura has her hands full with that. But other than that they're good," Clint said simply. There was no malice in his voice like the last time the two had spoken on the Raft. In fact it seemed like the good old days. "Sam told me one of those kids down there is yours…" Clint then said, and Tony sucked in a breath.

"Well, that's what they say," Tony said with a shrug. "Guess I won't find out till I seem him," Tony said as his eyes wandered over to the staircase. "Is Sam down there with Rogers?" he then asked.

"Nah," Clint said, shaking his head. "He left the base as soon as Steve said he was calling you. He wanted me to come with him...but I can't just leave this place unprotected. Especially with the kids here," He said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I figured I would hang around till you got here," he explained.

Tony didn't know why, but for some reason his heart swelled with admiration. Even though they disagreed about certain things, Clint was a good guy with a good heart. Lately he had always been thinking about Steve's band of fugitives with a negative outlook, but this put things into perspective.

"I appreciate it Clint. Seriously," Tony said as he did his best to look at Clint in the eyes. "You can leave though," I have a team coming soon. F.R.I.D.A.Y. can watch the place with my suit till they get here,' Tony explained.

"Sounds good," the archer said as he hoised up his bow and arrow. "Good luck with the kid,' He then said as he turned towards the door.

"Yeah...thanks," Tony said as he watched Clint leave. And then he was alone.

Tony's head slowly turned to the staircase and he let out a nervous whine as he scrubbed his face. He really didn't want to do this. He didn't want to see this kid. He wasn't good with kids. He was sure he would screw this up. But at the same time he felt responsible. So taking in a deep breath, Tony descended the staircase.

Finding the living quarters was not difficult. Especially when there was a big blonde super-soldier standing in front of the double doors. Tony had been so focused on the fact that he had a kid, though, that he forgot that he would have to see Steve. Tony bit his lower lip as he approached, trying to hide the mixed feelings that were beginning to bubble up inside of him.

Steve looked tired. His eyes didn't have that spark that they usually did. Bags were under his eyes but the most notable change was that Steve had a beard. It actually looked good on him, Tony had decided.

"You decided to join the facial hair club?" Tony said as he approached, and Steve lifted his head slightly. As soon as he saw Tony, a tired smile spread across his face. It was small, but it was there. And as soon as it appeared on his face, the smile seemed to fade. It seemed Steve as dealing with some mixed emotions as well.

"I thought I would take a crack at it," Steve said as he adjusted his posture. "It's nice to see you Tony," Steve said, and he meant it.

"You too Spangles," Tony said, his voice shaking ever so slightly. "Is the kid in there?" he then asked as he nodded towards the doors. Tony was desperate to change the subject to anything that might keep them from talking about their past.

"Yeah," Steve said as he turned his body to look at the doors behind him. "They're all sleeping now. We had an issue with a crying baby, but one of the girls got her calmed down," Steve explained. "You're kid was up for a while...but I think he tired himself out," Steve said with a small shrug. "All of them have had a long night."

"Hey, we don't know if that kid is mine until I run a test. Just because a piece of paper says he's mine, doesn't make him," Tony said in a warning tone.

"Of course," Steve said with a nod and then it was silent as the two men looked anywhere but each other. "Why don't you come in," Steve said as he waved his hand, motioning for Tony.

Tony followed close behind as they made their way inside the room. They walked into what looked like a large communal living room with many couches and end tables, followed by a kitchen, and soon they were walking down a connecting hall. Steve opened the first door and motioned for Tony to walk in first.

It honestly looked like a standard hotel room. Two double beds with a nightstand and lamp in the middle and a black couch on the side. One teenage girl slept on one of the beds with a baby girl next to her. The other bed was taken up by a toddler boy who was lazily sprawled out over the bed, making it hard for someone else to easily sleep on it. And then on the couch another teenage girl slept, slumped over the left side of the couch while a little boy slept on the other end, his head resting in her lap.

There were only two candidates for which kid could be his, but Tony already knew it was the kid on the couch. He wanted to go over there. He wanted to wake the kid and just look at him. He seemed to be the age where children could talk. Not well, but they could. Was this kid even developed enough that he could speak? Tony wanted to do so much, but the image of the kid sleeping stopped him. He wouldn't disturb him. Not that face. So Tony opted to just staring at him from afar.

After about five minutes Tony cleared his throat and turned around to see Steve who was just standing in the doorway. With a motion of his hands, Tony directed Steve into the hallway with him before closing the door.

"I have a team coming, they should be here in a few hours. You can go, I got this," Tony said quietly.

"Actually," Steve muttered, biting his lip. "I was wondering if i could come with," He said and there was a long, pregnant pause. 'I-I mean if that's okay," he stammered. "I just wanted to make sure everyone got to their families and everything," he explained. Tony was taken back by Steve's request and it took him a moment to respond, but even the inventor as surprised by his own words.

"No, that would be fine," he said with a nod. "The compound is on private property, no one will come snooping around for you there. And my team is trusted plus they're under contract so if they say anything well…" he paused. "Yeah, that will work," Tony said with a nod. "Plus, Vision will be happy to see you. I think he's tired of only seeing me around the place."

"Thank you Tony," Steve said as that small smile came back on his face.

"Yeah..of course," Tony said as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Listen, I need to get files from these computers here...You know, make sure we know what they were doing here, get the information we need on all the kids, that sort of thing." Tony said. Plus, he really just wanted to know more about the kid. "I'm going to get F.R.I.D.A.Y. started on collecting all of that and uh...I'll just meet you back here in a few hours," Tony said as he pointed his thumb behind him, towards the double door.

"Yeah, that's fine," Steve said with a nod as Tony turned to leave the hallway. "Actually, I have a physical file on the kid if you want it." Steve offered.

"That would be great."

With that Steve walked back into the communal living area and picked up the large folder that had the kid's picture on it.

"There is some stuff in here I don't understand," Steve began as he handed the file over to Tony. "But there is some medical information, and experiments they ran, things like that. I hope it helps," Steve said.

"I'm sure it will, thanks Rogers," Tony said before leaving the room.

He waited till he was alone before he looked at the file. He waited till he had F.R.I.D.A.Y. running on HYDRA's system before he opened it. He waited till he was seated before he finally sat down and opened the thing.

" Subject 009 - "Peter". Born August 27, 2013. Mother: Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker. Father: Tony Stark." He read out loud before looking at the picture that accompanied the first page. "Peter," he muttered, wondering who gave him that name. He was going to read more, but all he could do was stare at the picture. The kid definitely had Stark hair. In fact, it reminded Tony of his mother's hair, even if it was messy and poorly cut. And his nose was a stark nose. The one thing that stuck out to him those were the kid's big brown eyes as they stared back at him. They actually reminded him of Bambi's big eyes from the old Disney movie. As Tony looked at the picture longer and longer, though, he could only come to one conclusion.

This kid had to be his, and Tony had fallen in love instantly.


	4. Chapter 4

**So I re titled my fic. I have a better idea for where I want this to go and felt like this was a better title. Anyways, I honestly had no idea what to name this when I first started.**  
 **x**  
 **I'm sorry it took so long for me to update, but my life has been a big mess with little to no time to write. I apologize.**  
 **x**  
 **Thank you all so much for your support! I really appreciate it, you have no idea!**

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It had been a good three hours since Tony sat down to look through files. His head was swimming from all the information he had read, and his eyes hurt from not getting enough sleep. FRIDAY had long ago compiled all the information from HYDRA's database and put it away for safekeeping. Tony definitely wanted to wait till he got back to the compound before he cracked any of that open.

Honestly, Tony had not had any idea where to start. So he did the most logical thing and began with his supposed child. Subject 009, or Peter, (as Tony prefered) was a little over three years old. According to the records he was born with severe asthma which caused a lot of complications in the beginning. After reading the notes left by a Dr. Vanderooth, Tony discovered that they "wouldn't have necessarily called his birth a success due to the health complications". The subject would have normally been terminated and they would have started over, except Peter was the first child to live past the pregnancy. And according to the doctor, "They would take every win they could". If he couldn't be used "in the field" he could at least be studied. Tony sure as hell didn't appreciate the view they had on Peter's life, but in the end, their thinking had saved Peter's life.

After digging more the inventor also learned that the child was nearsighted, but no corrective action had been taken. (Tony was sure to make a note to get the kids lungs checked out, as well as corrective lenses.) And while there seemed to be some things wrong with the kid, there were also some enhancements.

While the boy's eyesite was poor, he could hear exceptionally well. A note had been added to the side, though, stating that Peter was prone to sensory overloads. There were no other notes on that subject, but Tony was curious if his eye site might be modified in any way. It was just one more reason to take the kid to an eye doctor.

As Tony continued to read he discovered that the boy did not have these enhancements naturally. The file stated that a geneticist had been experimenting on the boy while he was still in the womb and then a few weeks after birth. All the experimenting came to a halt when the scientist was suddenly killed. The most alarming discoveries Tony had made, though, was that Tony had known the scientist. The other thing was that he was the husband of the woman he was experimenting on.

It wasn't like he and Richard Parker were friends. Acquaintances was a better way to describe it. They had worked together on collaboration projects a year or so after Tony had graduated from MIT. At that time Richard was single. They had worked together off and on for a good six months and then went their separate ways. Of course Tony had heard that Richard and his wife had gone missing a few years back, but he never could have imagined that this was their fate. And then that lead Tony to look at the mother, Mary Fitzpatrick Parker. There were a few notes in the file about her, and it left Tony with a good understanding about what had happened.

According to the file, Mary had worked for the CIA before she became a SHIELD agent. She was incredibly brilliant and was at the top of her class at the academy with a soaring IQ. She worked with SHIELD for five years before she then became a double agent and was sent into HYDRA's network. Unfortunately she only lasted a month before she was found out. Mary was supposed to be executed, but because of how smart she was, she became a prime candidate for the breeding program they had going on, and they had just the match for her. And with Mary in HYDRA's grasp, it was easy to get ahold of her husband. They had forced Richard to work for them, holding the threat to kill his wife above his head. Unfortunately when Mary had lost her value, she was killed, and soon Richard became less compliant. He followed Mary soon after.

The last note on Mary was that she was the one who had given the boy his name.

Peter.

Mary had cared for her child enough that she had given him a name. Sure, Tony had never known Mary, but for some reason he felt connected with her. And the guilt began to pool in his stomach as he looked at the picture of her that was on the file. He would definitely look into her life more as soon as he was back at the compound. Perhaps she had family somewhere. He would be sure to tell them what had happened to her. Especially if she was still listed as missing. They deserve that much.

From there Tony fell into another rabbit hole. He was curious about the other children who were held captive and he did his best to read up on them. The oldest in the group was a girl named Bailey, and she was only sixteen. That fact alone made Tony's blood boil. She was taken from her home in Seattle months ago after being observed and followed a few weeks prior. A note made by Dr. Vanderooth said she was an "exceptional candidate."

Bailey was intelligent and seemed to be involved with most school activities, but the thing that had caught HYDRA's eye was her athletic ability. She was a state champion in high jump three years in a row. In the off season she played Volleyball where she was a star athlete as well, and before she had been taken, she was making quite a name in the power-lifting scene.

Tony cursed under his breath as he read over this information. This girl had a future. She was going places. She had her entire life ahead of her. Hell, she as only a Junior in High School. And all of that changed just so HYDRA could have their little project. - According to the file, she had been impregnated with a mutant who had super strength.

The inventor soon moved on to the other kids, though. The other girl was another sixteen-year-old name Samantha who was taken from California. HYDRA had been attracted to her due to her finishing high-school when she was fifteen. She had been taken from her college campus and paired with a telekinetic

The youngest was a small girl who was a little under a year old. Tony only found a name when it came to her mother, but it seemed like the girl had a mutation dealing with fire. Apparently there were many testes recorded on the server, but currently, HYDRA was seeing how much heat her body could withstand.

The last boy was around Peter's age. He was labeled as a "test-tube-baby," He was the product of sperm and egg that HYDRA scientists chose from two different mutants they had "on file". After the egg was fertilized, they just stuck it in some random woman, as if she were cattle.

Tony let out a heavy sigh as he scrubbed his face. All the information he had taken in was too much, and this was too heavy of a subject for his tired brain to process. All he wanted to do was take a nap as soon as his jet arrived, but he needed to be sure that the kids were taken care of. They came first. _His_ kid came first. Tony was pulled from his thoughts as his phone began to go off, alerting him that the jet would be landing in the next fifteen minutes.

"Speak of the devil," He muttered as he collected all the files from off the table. Tony turned in the chair, ready to leave the room and alert Steve about what was going on. What he was not expecting was a small child to be standing directly behind the chair, staring at him. Tony would never admit it, but he definitely let out a scream as he quickly backed away, busting his ass as he fell to the floor in a panic. Tony's surprised yelp seemed to scare the boy though, and he quickly scurried away, hiding behind another desk that was a few feet away from him.

"Jesus kid!" Tony huffed as he put a hand on his chest, looking in the direction of where the kid had ran to hide. "I uh-" he stammered, not really sure what to say in a situation like that. "You scare me half to death," He said, collecting himself, though he didn't move from his spot on the floor. "But I guess I scared you too, huh," He muttered. "Please come out, I'm promise I won't hurt you kid! I-I didn't mean to yell at you." Honestly, Tony had no idea how to talk to the young boy. And he wasn't even sure if the kid could understand him, so Tony decided on talking to him like he would anyone else, until he got a better feel for the kid.

"I'm sorry," Tony heard after a moment. The voice was small and trembled as the kid spoke. "I didn't-" He began, but Tony cut him off.

"It's okay...Peter," Tony said. He hadn't gotten a good look at who the kid was, but he had gotten a flash of those doe eyes, so he was pretty sure he knew who it was. "You just scared me, that's all. Come on out, okay?" He said patiently.

It took Peter a moment, but slowly the boy moved, out from his hiding spot and cautiously made his way towards Tony. The inventor stayed quiet, not wanting to scare the boy off. Peter finally took a seat a few feet in front of Tony, folding his legs over each other as he stared at the man. They sat like that for a while.

Now Tony had a good view of the kid, and he noticed how small he looked for his age. Obviously Tony was no expert when it came to children, but he felt like a toddler of his age would be a little bit bigger. He also took in the way the child's stomach distended and how his limbs were small and lacked much muscle mass. It was clear that Peter was malnutritioned. He was sure there were other issues based on his appearance. Dark shadows under his eyes, clammy skin, and even his hair seemed frail.

"What are you doing here kid?" Tony finally said after a very pregnant pause. Peter just looked at him and blinked a few times, but otherwise stayed silent. "Isn't Steve watching you? I thought-"

"I wasn't sleepy." Peter suddenly interrupted. "Everyone else fell asleep, even Mr. America. So I went exploring," the child said, finishing with a small shrug.

If this were any other time, Tony would have laughed at the name Peter had called Steve, but right now Tony was too busy focusing on Peter. Okay. So he could obviously speak in full sentences. That was good to know. And he was obviously curious. Of course he was a Stark.

"So you went looking for me?" Tony asked, scrubbing his face.

"No. You were just here when i came in," Peter said with a small smile.

 _Ouch_. Tony thought. The kid definitely didn't care about hurting anyones feelings.

"Right," Tony said with a small chuckle. "You were just exploring," he repeated.

"Are they really gone?" Peter suddenly asked, his eyes never leaving Tony. "The bad people that took Bailey?"

"Yeah Peter, they're gone...Mr. America made sure. And he called me over here to make sure that they didn't come back. I won't let them hurt you ever again," Tony reassured.

"But they didn't really hurt me," Peter said, his brows knitting together. "But they hurt Bailey. They made her cry. A lot. Is she going to be safe too?" Peter asked.

"Of Course, Bailey too. Everyone is going to be safe, you understand me? I won't let anything bad happen to any of you. In fact," Tony said as he began to get up. Peter just stared up at the man but didn't move. "My jet- my airplane- is here. We're all going to get on it and I'm going to take you somewhere safe. You'll have food to eat and your own bed. You can take baths and play outside and-"

"I've never had a bed," Peter interjected, taking Tony off guard. Tony opened his mouth to say something to Peter but he honestly didn't know how to respond to that before he could say anything, Peter spoke again. "Is Mr. America coming?" he then asked.

"Y-yeah. Mr. America is coming too. He's going to make sure everyone else goes back to their homes," Tony reassured.

"But this _is_ my home. I-I've never been away from here," the young boy said, his voice climbing to a panic. "I don't have a home to go back to...Are you going to bring me back here and-"

"Hey hey hey, don't worry!" Tony quickly said as he knelt down in front of Peter. "You're going to stay with me, okay? At least for the time being. You'll never come here again. You hear me? I'm going to keep you safe. Okay?" Tony said, doing his best to stay calm. Seeing Peter stressed was not doing any good to his heart.

"But," Peter interjected, his voice shaking slightly. "I don't even know you," the little boy said as a few tears began to fall from his eyes. Tony's breath hitched and his mind began to scramble, thinking of what the right response would be.

"I'm Tony, the mechanic," Tony said as he reached his hand out for Peter to take.

"I'm Peter," the little boy said as he eyed Tony's hand before taking it. "Just Peter," he said in a small voice.

"No way," Tony said as he held onto Peter's hand. "You're Peter, the bravest boy I know," and with that he let go of Peter's hand and stood up. After collecting all of his things from the room he took Peter's hand hand began to lead him out of the room.

"Come on. Let's get Mr. America and the others and get out of here," Tony said, squeezing Peter's hand lightly. To Tony's surprise, Peter actually squeezed back.


	5. Chapter 5

I **'m sorry these chapters are so short. I feel like I should be doing more, but unfortunately I don't have a lot of time to write during the week. And I just get so excited about updating that I cut my plans short. (This chapter was suppose to be double in length. and I got too excited so you're just getting what I wrote so far.) I'm sure I'll be one of those fics that has like 40 chapters. RIP me. (okay, maybe not 40) - Anyways, enjoy!**

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Steve cracked his eyes open to see Tony standing over him, shaking his shoulder as he spoke. The soldier's mind raced as he tried to remember why Tony was there, and then everything came rushing back. Right he had called him there.

"Come on Spangles, the Jet is here," Tony said as he hit Steve's shoulder with his stack of files. "I want to get out of here as much as the others do. You're the only one tying us down." Tony said. - He had come back to the living quarters with Peter only to find Steve passed out in the chair. He figured the man needed some sleep, so he left him to snooze as he directed his crew to lead the others out to the plane. Honestly, he was shocked that Steven didn't wake up, he was usually a light sleeper.

Steve propped himself up in the chair he was in and looked around. Tony was the only one in front of him, but upon further observation, he noticed Bailey standing a few feet behind Tony with Peter who was holding her hand. "Where is everyone else?" he asked as he let out a yawn before stretching his arms.

"In the jet, like I said before. C'mon Sleeping Beauty, you can rest once we take off. The kiddies want to go," Tony said before turning and motioning for Bailey to move.

"N-No, that's okay. I'm awake now," Steve said as he stood up in one fluid movement and strode the door.

"Good," Tony replied as he patted Steve's shoulder, pushing him towards the front of the group. "Then you can go with the kids, I'm going to make sure I have everything. I would prefer not to come back here," Tony said with a unhappy huff. "I'll meet you up top. My team will be waiting for you," Tony instructed, to witch Steve simply nodded.

"How long was I out?" Steve asked almost apologetically as he approached Bailey who was waiting for him outside the door.

"Sorry, but I don't know," Bailey said with a small shake of her head. "I fell asleep when your friends were still here. And suddenly Mr. Stark was waking me up," With that the small group began to ascend the stairs. "I didn't know you and Mr. Stark had patched things up since the Accords," She said.

"We haven't. Well, not really. But we're working on it," Steve said as he felt the warmness of embarrassment creep up his neck.

"Good. I don't like to see mom and dad fight," Bailey said with a labored laugh as she continued up the steps.

"Mom and Dad?" Steve asked, slightly amused by her statement.

"Yeah. Mom and Dad, of the Avengers," Bailey said as if it was common knowledge. Steve was so taken back by the statement that he could only let out a nervous laugh before the fell silent. "You called because of _him_ didn't you," Bailey said. At the same time she turned her head to look at Steve before looking down at Peter who was simply holding onto her hand and looking at the steps.

"Yeah," Steve admitted not really sure what else to say. This girl definitely was a sharp one.

The three finally reached the top to find two paramedics waiting for them, along with the Iron Man suit standing protectively at the mouth of the building.

"Hi Miss," one of the paramedics said when Bailey approached. He was young, mid to late twenties, and he seemed to be too happy for the situation. "Can we help you out to the Jet? You seem a bit winded," he said as he held out an arm. Bailey eyed the man before looking back at Steve.

"Um Sure," She said as she took the man's arm. The other medic was quick to join and Bailey quickly looked down at Peter. "These nice people are going to help me outside, is that okay Peter?" She asked, giving the boy's hand a tight squeeze.

Peter looked up at the girl with large eyes. It was obvious that the boy was uneasy, and the thought of leaving the one person he felt comfortable with petrified him. His breathing increased in speed and tears began to well up in his eyes but he timidly nodded his head.

"It's okay Peter, I'll be right here with you," Steve said as he noticed how uneasy the boy was.

"Thanks Cap," Bailey said over her shoulder as the two medics began to lead her out of the building and soon it was just Steve and Peter standing in the small hut

"Alright Petey, let's go, huh?" Steve asked asked as he took Peter's hand. The two moved a few feet towards the exit, but as soon as they hit the threshold of the door, Peter stopped dead in his tracks. "Hey, what's wrong?" Steve asked as he let go of Peter's hand and turned so he could get a good look at the boy.

Peter was frozen in place as his chest heaved up and down, and it was growing in speed. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he stared out at the landscape before him. Steve opened his mouth to say something but before he could, Peter began to shake uncontrollably. It started in his legs and moved up his body. Peter may have been a young boy, but Steve could identify a panic attack when he saw one.

"Hey bud," Steve said as he crouched down in front of him. "It's okay. Nothing's going to hurt you. We're just going to take you somewhere safe okay?" Steve said. He could easily pick up the boy, but he didn't want to move him against his will unless he absolutely had to.

"I-I-I've n-never been out s-side," Peter said, his already small voice going up a few octaves. "M' scared."

"Oh Peter," Steve said, his heart breaking as he pulled the boy into a hug, holding him against his shoulder. "It's okay. I know it's scary, but you will be fine. I'll be right there with you," Steve said reassuringly. Peter continued to look straightforward but didn't indicate that he had heard Steve's words. Steve waited a moment before taking Peter's hand and trying to lead him away, but the boy wouldn't budge. He just continued to shake and cry. He could handle panic attacks in adults. He knew what to do there. But a child? Well, Steven didn't have a lot of experience with them. "Hey look at me. We're going to take one big step together, okay? Just one step and-"

"Come on Sleeping Beauty, move aside," Tony's voice suddenly sounded from behind them. Peter turned at the sound of the voice and looked up at Tony with desperation as he reached up for him with his small arms. Even though Tony was a little taken back by the state of Peter, he didn't show it. He simply scooped up the shaking boy in his arms and proceeded to walk out of the door. "Close the door behind you!" Tony said over his shoulder as the Iron Man suit followed him out.

Steven was in shock at the way Peter responded to Tony and all he could do was stand there for a moment in confusion. Had something happened between the two while he was asleep? The super soldier tried to shake it off and proceeded to follow the father and son. But not before closing the door as he was instructed.

"Hey Peter, You're doing great," Tony said to the still shaking boy as they walked towards the Jet. Peter looked at their surroundings with large eyes but quickly stuck his head into the crook of Tony's neck when the man lost his footing and stumbled. "Sorry Peter," Tony muttered as he adjusted his grip and continued on. Soon he felt a wetness on his neck from Peter's tears, followed by a warmth that grew around his midsection. It was clear that both Peter and Tony would need a change of clothes. And Tony tried to not think about the fact that they would have to wait the entire flight back to the compound to change clothes. It wasn't like the child meant to pee on him...right?

"Almost there," Tony said as he approached the ramp that lead into the jet. He could see the others now. Bailey was in a reclining position in a chair, as well as the other girl, while the two other children were strapped in and ready to go. "Okay Peter, we're going into my airplane now. It's going to be loud for a little bit, and maybe even a bit scary, but I know you can handle it." Tony said. He wasn't even sure if Peter was listening...but maybe this was more for his sake anyways.

Tony slowly ducked into the jet and took a seat closest to the cockpit, but chose not to sit in the co-pilot seat. He figured he wouldn't be getting Peter off of him anytime soon. Turning his head he saw Steve board the plane and with that he gave the signal to close up and take off.

As soon as the jet made a move for takeoff, all of the children began to cry loudly, including Peter, who leaned his head even harder into Tony. The inventor's eyes widened and he let out a small huff as he was forced back into the seat. Peter wailed as he body continued to shake and Tony put a steady hand on Peter's back for reassurance. The boy was heaving heavy breaths in and out and honestly, it was scaring Tony.

"Peter. Peter," Tony said as he gently tapped the boy's back. You need to breathe with me, okay? Just match my breaths." Tony said as he began to exaggerate his breathing. There was a little bit of a gray moment where Peter didn't seem to listen to the inventor, but slowly, the boy's chest began to fall in sync with Tony's.

"I told ya' kid. You're the bravest boy I know," Tony said as he gave a comforting pat to Peter's back. The only reply that Peter gave was a small cough.

"You're really good with him," Steve said and honestly, he was impressed.

"Nah," Tony said as his face scrunched together. "I honestly have no idea what I'm doing," He admitted. "I'm just imitating what I see on TV, you know," The inventor said as he began to rub circles on Peter's back.

"I'm serious Tony," Steve said. He was honestly impressed. "You're a natural."

"Not possible. Not with my upbringing," Tony said. That statement seemed to strike a chord in Steve and he dropped the subject after that.

Tony sat in silence as he watched his med team check everyone out and make sure they were comfortable. The other two children had quieted down once the jet was at a steady altitude and the two teenagers seemed to be doing fine. Peter on the other hand continued to let out coughs and hiccup noises. At first Tony just thought he was having a hard time calming down, but suddenly Steve spoke up.

"Tony...he has asthma, right?" the blonde asked as he stood up and closed the four foot gap between them. "I think he's having an attack," Steve explained as he held his arms out for Peter.

Tony only nodded as he looked up at Steve with wide eyes. He felt so dumb because of course something wasn't right. Tony should have seen that. And it kind of pissed him off because of course Steve would be the one to notice something was wrong. The guy was a sick individual before he became Captain America. He would definitely know symptoms for something like this.

"Here," Tony said as he adjusted Peter so Steve could take him. To his surprise, though, Steve simply turned Peter around so that he was sitting on Tony's lap, his back up against his chest.

"It's easier for him to breath like this," Steve explained as he wiped his hands on his pants, trying to ignore the wet spot he had just touched. From there he turned towards the group of medics, "Excuse me," he said, his voice becoming a bit louder. "Can we get some help over here?" He asked as all of the medics turned their heads to look at the three.

A woman was the first to respond and she quickly shuffled over at Steve's command. She had heard the boy cough, but thought nothing of it. Now that she saw him, though, she knew the problem. "Asthma?" She asked as she kneeled down in front of Tony and Peter.

"I think?" Tony said, feeling like a fish out of water in this kind of situation. "Rita, please tell me you have some albuterol on this jet," Tony said, his throat feeling tight.

"We have some, don't worry Mr. Stark," Rita said with a reassuring smile as she stood and moved to retrieve it.

"Sc-Sca-Sc-Scared," Peter stated tugged on his shirt collar. "Can't b-breathe," he gasped as he tried to turn to look at Tony.

"I know you're scared. Me too. But you're going to be brave and Rita is going to do her job and help you because she's damn good at it," Tony said as he looked down at Peter.

"Tony," Steve hissed under his breath. "Watch your language, especially in front of him," Steve said as he eyed Peter.

"Oh calm your tits Mr. America!" Tony said, his voice growing in volume. He was clearly perturbed.

"Mr. America?" Steve stammered as Rita came back with a handheld breathing machine and a mask.

"Hey there," Rita said with a kind smile as she knelt in front of Tony and Peter. "My name is Rita, I work for Mr. Stark. And you are.." The woman trailed off and looked at Tony for some sort of answer.

"Peter," Tony said, supplying an answer. "Peter this is Rita, she is going to help you breath," Tony explained.

"That's right," Rita chimed in. "So I'm going to put this mask on you, okay? And this mist is going to come out of it. It might look scary, but I need you to breath as much as you can in. It's medicine," She explained.

The small boy wearily eyed the woman but nodded as she held up the breathing mask. "O-o-okay," he wined, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see what was happening.

Both Tony and Steve seemed to hold their breath as they watched Peter taken in the medicine, and slowly his breathing began to even out. A little bit longer and Peter was beginning to doze on Tony's chest.

"Thank you Rita. Remind me to give you a raise when we get back to the compound," Tony quietly said as the medic gently took the mask off of the now sleeping boy.

"I'm just doing my job Mr. Stark," She said with a kind smile as she stood up and began to go back to her earlier position, but not before stalling next to Steve. "It's good to see you again Captain," She said timidly before moving on.

"Well, that was terrifying," Tony said on a shaky breath as he leaned against the headrest.

"Yeah," Steve simply agreed. "You think you want to sign up for this? Face these problems and take on the responsibility?" He asked. He wasn't trying to be rude, but it was a serious question.

"I-" Tony said as he seriously thought about his answer. He thought he had a good reply, but now he was questioning if it was the right one. "I don't think so," Tony muttered, biting his lip. It's not the answer he wanted to give, but it was the most honest. "I'm not dad material. Especially since I didn't have a good example. And Peter's going to need help, and a lot of nurturing. If...If he is my son, I want what's best for him. If that means giving him to someone else that is better equipped...I'll do it."

"Are you sure you want to make that decision? What if you regret it?" Steve asked, his brow knitting together.

"This isn't about me Steve. This is about Peter. I'll be whatever he needs me to be. If I need to stay as Tony Stark, the Mechanic who fixes things...that's what I'll be. If I need to be a friend, I'll be that. And if-" Tony paused, looking out the window. "If Peter needs me to just stay on the sidelines and watch, I'll do that too."


	6. Chapter 6

**So I had time on my hand today and I was so motivated by all your comments, so I whipped up a quick chapter. Sorry, I get excited easily. Honestly I haven't proof-read any of this, so I apologize.**

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To say that Tony was tired was an understatement. He had only gotten a few hours of sleep before Steve had called him, and there was no way he could get sleep with all the events that had occurred since. All Tony could do was numbly stare out the window from the medical wing of the compound.

They had arrived back in New York about two hours ago. And while that meant rest for the others, Tony had work to do. The inventor was quick to get the two mothers-to-be settled. He made sure they were comfortable and had sent up appointments with the on-call doctor to get a report on the girls and their children. From there Tony had collected the girls family information. He was going to make the call to the parents, but Steve stopped him.

"You should get some rest Cap. Your room is still where you left it," Tony said as he tried to wave the blonde off. If _he_ was tired, he couldn't imagine how Steve felt.

"You look like you could use some help," Steve said with a tired smile that only pulled up on the left side of his face. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Why don't you let me call their families," Steve suggested. Tony couldn't say no to that face, even if he did have mixed feelings towards Steve. So he let him.

Of course Tony left a laundry list of things to do. "Make sure you call the authorities and tell them you've found the girls, but don't tell them who you are. You're are wanted criminal afterall.", "Make sure you let the parents know that I will be sending down a private jet so that they can see their girls." and " Don't give them too much information though. We don't want to freak them out. We can get them caught up when they get here. Just let them know their daughters are alive." There was of course more, but Steve had to stop the brunet.

"I got it Tony. Don't worry," he said as he set a hand on Tony's shoulder. The entire time Tony was running around, though, he was still holding Peter. The man had tried to hand him off to Rita after they landed, just for a bit, but the boy went absolutely ballistic. In the end all Tony could do was carry the boy around with him.

To Peter's credit, he was quiet after that. He didn't squirm around in Tony's arms, he didn't make a lot of noise, and he didn't complain. He just sat there and watched the world around him move as Tony did his thing.

Once the girls were taken care of, he made sure that the younger kids were doing okay. They were in another part of the wing, and it seemed like Rita and her team were taking care of everything. Tony was quick to make a call to Xavier's school for gifted youngsters about the children, and he was told that they would send a representative to him in the following days.

Now all that was left was Peter.

"Hey bud, you still with me?" Tony asked as he leaned against a counter in a private room in the wig, bouncing Peter gently in his arms.

"Yes," A quiet voice sounded, muffled by the burnett's shoulder as Peter leaned into Tony.

"We're at my place now. I mean, this isn't where I live...but this is where I bring people when they're sick or hurt." Tony began as he continued to look out of the panel of windows.

"But I'm not sick...or hurt," Peter mumbled into Tony's shoulder.

"I know," Tony said, figuring out how to phrase what he was trying to say. "But you were staying in a really bad environment, and those people didn't treat you right. You might not feel sick or hurt...but I need to make sure that everything is doing okay on the inside of you, where I can't see. Okay?" There was silence for a moment and Tony was afraid Peter wasn't going to replay but a small "okay" seeped out of his shoulder.

Tony tried to set Peter down on the bed but the Boy stuck to him like glue.

"C'mon Peter, just for a minute. I can't do anything when you're taking up half of my side," Tony sighed heavily as he gently tried to shake Peter off.

"No!" the boy cried. "No, m' scared! Don't let me go, please," the little boy pleaded.

"Peter-"

"No!" Peter screamed this time as he began to crawl up Tony's side so he was now almost sitting on his shoulder. "No, No, No,No, No!"

"Need help?" A baritone voice called from the once closed door. And there was Steve, standing there with that lopsided grin and messy hair. Tony felt his heart flutter for a moment as he thought about the old days, but he quickly suppressed those thoughts. He couldn't think like that.

"My savior has arrived," Tony proclaimed as he tried to pull Peter back to his earlier position. "Mind holding the kiddie?" he asked as he turned to face Steve. The blonde strode into the room, closing the door behind him and in a moment he was in front of Tony with open arms.

"Hey Peter. Is it okay if I hold you?" Steve asked, putting a large hand on the boy's arm. "Just for a little bit."

Peter suddenly stopped squirming and turned his head to look up at Steve with his big doe-eyes. His breath hitched in his throat for a moment and Steve was afraid he might have another attack, but the boy just stared at him.

"Okay," The boy finally said in a shaky voice as he held out his arms so that Steve could take him. As Steve pulled Peter out of Tony's arms, the inventor felt his slightly damp shirt being peeled off his his body. The material followed Peter for a brief moment before falling onto Tony's cool skin and the sensation sent a shiver up Tony's spine. The inventor shifted for a moment, but tried not to make a big deal out of it.

Now that Peter was out of his arms, Tony moved quickly, not knowing how long Peter would be compliant. He first washed his hands and then slipped on blue medical gloves before opening up a cabinet.

By now Tony was wondering if Peter was afraid of settings like these. He had been raised in a lab. He couldn't blame this kid if a trip to the doctor set him a little on edge. It was something that he would keep in mind. In fact, Tony might have to get creative with other doctor visits, but for now, he would try to do his best with what he had.

When Tony turned around with what he needed he saw Steve sitting on the edge of the bed with Peter sitting on his knee. Peter was looking up at the soldier as he spoke and suddenly Tony noticed that Steve was holding a Captain America plushie.

Where in God's name did he even get that?

"-And you can take him anywhere you want. When you get scared you just need to hug him and he will keep you safe with his shield," Steve explained.

"This is you...isn't it?" Peter said as he looked between the plush and Steve. "Mr. America, right?" Peter asked, the stress easing from his voice.

"Uh...it's...his name- _my_ name is Captain America," Steve said with a nervous laugh.

"I like Mr. America better," Peter said as he took the plushie from Steve. "But I like it. Thank you." And with that he tucked the stuffed version of Steve under his arm securely.

"Peter, I'm going to need to see your finger for a minute okay? There will be a little poke and then it will be all over. You can handle that, right?" Tony asked as he crouched down so that he and Peter were the same height.

"Will it hurt?" Peter asked, his voice wobbling slightly as he pulled his free arm away from his body and held it out for Tony to take.

"It might. But remember, you're brave. You got this," Tony said as he securely took Peter's wrist in his hand before spreading out his fingers. Tony could feel the tremors that began to shake through the boy's body but before he could say anything, Steve was already doing so.

"Remember, just hug Mr. America tight. He'll make sure nothing bad happens to you. And since I'm here I'll protect you to. If Tony hurts you, I'll beat him up." Steve said, holding Peter tight so that he couldn't squirm away from Tony.

"Hey! Don't tell the kid that," Tony whined as he took the lancet he was holding and held it over Peter's small ring finger before pressing down.

It was if time had stopped for a moment because Peter just stared at his hand with large eyes. He didn't move. Hell, he didn't even breath. And when Tony thought everything might be okay, Peter let out a high pitched scream as he squirmed in Steve's grasp.

"Beat him up Mr. America! Beat him up," He cried as tears fell down his cheeks.

"See! Look what you did," Tony grumbled as he dabbed Peter's finger with a cotton ball a few times before squeezing the finger so that he could get a good blood sample.

"Tony didn't hurt you Peter," Steve soothed. "He's just trying to help you. He even told you it might hurt," Steve hummed. "C'mon, just hold on to me and it won't hurt in a minute," Steve prompted.

And Steve was right. Peter calmed down quickly, and by the time he was finished with his fit, Tony had collected a blood sample and had put a plain band aid on the wound. Well, if this was how Peter acted towards a finger prick, Tony wasn't sure how he was going to do anything else.

Baby steps.

They would cross that bridge when they got there.

For now Tony put the blood sample in the system so FRIDAY to process it. He may be tired, but he was eager to see if Peter was actually his son or not. It would be a bit of a wait, and all Tony wanted to do was change out of his clothes and take a nap.

"Friday, order some diapers and baby formula. And get a list from Rita about what the younger kids need. And ask Bailey and Samantha if they need anything. If they do, get it for them. And tell Rita to get a bed ready for Peter, he still needs to be evaluated." Tony said as he scrubbed his face with his hand. With that he turned back to Steve and Peter. The super soldier was just quietly looking down at Peter as the boy leaned into the side of his arm, holding the plushie tightly to his chest. "I'll take it from here Cap," Tony then said as he discarded the gloves.

In all honesty, Tony was afraid that Peter might not want anything to do with him after the finger prick, but the boy eagerly turned around in Steve's grasp and held out his arms. Steve gently lifted Peter up and the boy was glued to Tony's hip once more.

"We're going to go see Rita now, okay? She's going to give you a bath and change your clothes and make sure you're insides are all okay. And when she's done I'll see you again. Deal?" Tony said as he walked out of the room with Peter and down the hall.

"You're not going to stay with me?" Peter asked in a hurt voice.

"You need a bath and and a change of clothes, and so do I. Once I'm cleaned up I'll be back to stay with you," Tony explained as he turned the corner and into the wig with the other children.

"No," Peter whined as he clung to Tony like a vice. "Stay with me please. Don't leave me alone," Peter howled.

"Peter! It's good to see you again," Rita suddenly said as she approached the two. "It seems like Steve gave you the plush I gave him," Rita said as she stopped and looked over Tony's shoulder. "Thanks Cap," the black haired woman said with a smile.

"Not a problem ma'am," Steve's voice sounded from behind Tony. The shorter man almost jumped out of his skin and he turned on his heel to see that Steve had followed them out of the room.

"Jesus! You followed us? Can't you take an order and get some sleep?" Tony whined before catching what Rita said. "Wait. You gave Steve the Plush?" He said in a accusatory tone.

"I put in an order when we were on the Jet. I figured our younger guests would like some comfort," She said and then looked at the other two children. Both were holding dolls. The boy held what looked to be a hulk plushie, and the younger girl was curled around an Ironman doll that was almost as big as her.

"Oh," Tony said, deflating slightly at the sight. "Well...thanks...I guess," He said, shifting a still whining Peter in his arms.

"Alright, well, I'll just give you him then," Tony said as he began to peel Peter away from him. "Let me know if you find anything serious, or if you need me. I'll be back when I can," Tony said.

"Will do Mr. Stark," Rita said, taking Peter and walking him back to a waiting bed. Tony watched silently as the woman and her team did their best to calm Peter down. It seemed like forever, but once Peter compliant, the inventor moved towards the exit.

Now that Peter wasn't latched on to him, and Tony knew that everyone was safe, he felt absolutely drained. He wasn't even sure if he could make it to a shower. Sure he smelt like piss...but he was willing to sacrifice his sheets for a nap.

"Steve," Tony muttered as he approached the blonde. "Get some rest. Everyone is safe, you've done enough for now." With that Tony walked out of the med wing and made his way to his private suite.

Now that Tony was alone he could feel how tired he was in his _bones._ Everything hurt and once he had his door closed behind him he began to srtip articles of clothing one by one, leaving a trail to his bedroom. By the time he collapsed in his bed he was down to his boxers and socks. Normally he hated sleeping with socks, but today he would make an exception.

The inventor pulled the sheets over his shoulders and rested his head in the pillow. As he closed his eyes, though, a voice came over the speakers.

"Congratulations Boss," FRIDAY said in her cool voice. "You're the proud father of a bouncing baby boy. Peter and you are a match."

"Well shit," Tony huffed as he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

When Tony awoke, Friday's message was the first thing on his mind. He was a dad. No. he wasn't a dad. He was the father to Peter. Honestly he had never doubted it, but hearing it confirmed was just a little unsettling.

The conversation that he and Steve had had on the Jet came rushing back to him, and all Tony could do was think about what they had discussed. Tony was a father, but he couldn't be a dad. He wasn't sure about where to go from there, but he concluded that Peter would stay with him for the time being. He would set up a room for him, and get him settled. He would take him to the doctors he needed to see, and make sure that he was healthy. But if something came up, he needed to have a backup plan ready.

Tony wracked his brain for people who could take care of a child, but he was coming up empty handed. Peter was enhanced. He wasn't sure how much, but maybe Xavier's school could take him in with the other children. It was an option. But Peter was smart, and very aware of his surroundings. Tony wasn't sure if he could stomach hearing Peter cry as he was taken away to another location. But what if Peter came to hate Tony? What if he would be eager to leave?

Tony tried not to think about that and continued thinking of a solution. Peter would need someone a bit closer that could nurture him. For some reason Tony thought of Pepper, but that thought instantly went away. One, because he knew Pepper couldn't handle a child (especially his) and two because _Holy shit he still had to tell Pepper!_

It wasn't like they were in a relationship anymore. But they were close friends, and Pepper had been there for him through thick and thin. She would be livid if she found out Tony had kept this from her.

"Friday, call Pepper," Tony muttered as he sat up in bed. There was a short wait and then suddenly Pepper's voice came over the system.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Pepper asked. She didn't seem annoyed, but maybe a little amused. The last time they had talked was last week about a deal with the company, and things had ended a bit heated.

"Pep," Tony greeted , his voice coming out hoarse.

"What's wrong Tony?" Pepper suddenly asked, her voice easing in it's sharpness.

"Pepper...I-I have a son," Tony blurted out. It was quiet for a moment before the woman spoke.

"Tony, we've dealt with woman who claim to have your children before. You can't just fall for-"

"No Pepper," Tony interrupted. "Steve...He-he called me...he said he found a HYDRA base where they were doing a breeding program and he found a kid with my DNA. I just got the results back and. God. Pepper, he's my kid," Tony said, his breathing picking up in speed.

"Tony where are you?" Pepper asked, worry now in her voice.

"We're back at the compound upstate. But...I went there. Pepper, they were doing human experiments. There were so many dead woman and children and...I took some back with me and...Pepper," Tony stammered. "I can't do this alone. Steve is here with me but I can't...I can hardly look at him and-"

"Tony, you need to calm down. Please," Pepper cooed. It was clear that the Inventor was on the edge of a panic attack.

"I'm calm. I'm calm," Tony said as he took a few deep breaths. "Pepper, I'm sorry to ask you this, but would you please come over. I know you're busy with the new deal but-"

"Don't say another word, I'm already on my way," Pepper reassured. "I'll be there."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait for an update. Life has been a bit busy, but I'm still plugging away! I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Pepper just happened to be at the New York location when Tony made his call. Normally Tony was the one to cancel meetings at a moment's notice and take care of situations, but now it was her turn. Pepper was quick to clear the rest of her day, and she was soon heading towards the compound. Within two and a half hours, she had arrived.

When she had talked to Tony, it was clear that he was very distressed. Pepper knew how sensitive Tony was with issues like these, and now to be thrusted in one...she couldn't imagine what he was going through. By the time she pulled into the compound it was almost six o'clock at night, and it was starting to get dark.

"Friday, where's Tony?" the CEO asked as soon as she entered the building through the garage entrance.

"Boss is in his bedroom. He has not left since he called you," the trusty AI responded.

"Oh Tony," Pepper sighed as she hugged her jacket close to her body and proceeded towards the stairs that seperated the business part of the compound with the living quarters. As she rounded the corner, though, she nearly ran headfirst into a large man who was headed in the opposite direction.

"Pepper?"

"Oh my God, Steve!" The woman said, pressing her palm against her chest as she tried to collect herself. She was clearly not expecting to run into anyone. "Tony said you were here," She said after a moment of catching her breath.

"You talked to Tony?" Steve asked, his head cocking to the side like some sort of golden retriever.

"Yeah...he called me a few hours ago. He seemed really upset," Pepper explained as she looked the man up and down. It had been a long time since she had seen Steve. And honestly, if this were any other time, she might have a few choice words for him. But the woman deemed that this was not in the right moment. The one thing Pepper noticed, though, was how rough the man looked. "You look awful Steve," Pepper muttered. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Both you and Tony are so concerned about my sleep schedule," Steve said with a tired laugh as he shook his head.

"It's because you look like crap," Pepper blurted out.

"Yeah well...I was going to get some rest but Peter was having a hard time being away from Tony so I stayed with him for a few hours till he fell asleep." Steve explained.

"Is Peter Tony's son?" Pepper hesitantly asked.

"Tony told you about him...about the situation?"

"Vaguely," Pepper said as she adjusted her grip on the coat she was holding. "All he said was that you had found his son in some sort of secret lab I guess." Pepper lulled into silence for a moment before looking up at Steve. "How old is he?" the woman then suddenly asked.

"According to the records, he's three," Steve said as he shifted from side to side. "He's pretty sharp for a three-year-old though. Do you want to see him?" Steve asked as he pointed behind his shoulder with his thumb.

"No," Pepper hummed thoughtfully. "Not now. I'll let Tony do that when he's ready. Thanks for the offer though," She said with a smile. "You should get some rest though, seriously," She said, cocking a single eyebrow.

"I will, in a little bit. There were some teenage girls that we found too. I contacted their parents when we got back here and they just arrived about an hour ago. I'm just going to get some extra pillows and blankets from the guest rooms...they want to be with their daughters after all." Steve explained.

"Steve Rogers. Always the gentleman," Pepper hummed, a small smile on her face. "Well, I'll let you go then. But get some sleep when you're done. That's an order soldier," Peter said.

"Thanks Pepper," the bearded man said with a tired smile before stepping to the side to let her pass.

The woman pressed her lips together in a fine line and gave a slight smile as she nodded and moved around Steve. She only looked over her shoulder once as she continued down the hall, but Steve was gone when she did so.

Soon Pepper was at Tony's bedroom door. She paused at the entrance, not really sure what was going to happen in the following moments, but prepared herself for anything.

"Tony?" Pepper called softly as she knocked on the door before opening it slowly. As the door swung open, the first thing she saw was Tony, sitting on the bed with his back leaning against the headboard of the bed. He had a black t shirt on and Pepper assumed he had sweats on, but it was hard to see as the sheets covered his legs. "Tony?" Pepper asked again as she closed the door to the dimly lit room, but the inventor didn't respond. He seemed too wrapped up in whatever he was looking at on his Stark-Pad. Pepper let out a heavy sigh and made her way to the edge of the bed.

Now that she had the chance, she could see that Tony was staring at a picture of a couple. The screen was split and one picture was of both of them, while the other side was zoomed in on the womans face. Pepper eyed the picture as she closed in on the bed. Kicking off her heels, she sat on the edge of the bed next to Tony and laid a hand on the man's arm.

"They are still classified as missing," Tony muttered, not even looking up at Pepper. "Their family has no idea what has happened to them and it sucks because I have to give them the news that their loved ones are dead." Tony said, his words having a little bit of a bite to them.

"Who…" Pepper began as she looked at the picture before turning her head to look down at Tony. She paused for a moment, the wheels turning in her head before she spoke again. "Were they in the place? The Lab?"

"They were at one point," Tony said flatly. "Long gone before Steve got there though." There was a pregnant pause as Pepper tried to decide what to say to Tony, but the man continued to speak before Pepper could say anything. "Mary Fitzpatrick Parker. The mother of my son," Tony muttered, still looking at the screen.

Pepper's eyes widened and she turned to look back at the screen for a moment. She had suspicions, but Tony only confirmed that. The woman's eyes scanned Mary's face on the screen. She looked so happy in that picture. She had a kind smile and her honey brown eyes had a sense of knowing as they stared back. Pepper had never meet this woman, but she knew that she was smart and witty, and would probably give Tony a run for his money.

"Did you locate her family?" Pepper asked as she reassuringly squeezed Tony's shoulder.

"She doesn't have any. Both her mother and father are dead, no siblings, no aunts or uncles. And the only family I could find for her husband was his brother and wife. Other than those two, he has the same story," Tony said as he scrubbed his face with one of his hands before looking up at Pepper. "I don't...I don't know if I can do this...do that...call them and tell them that-"

"Don't worry about that right now," Pepper soothed as she took her hand and ran it through Tony's damp hair. (He had definitely taken a shower) "I'll take care of it," She said and with that Tony was leaning into the woman, pressing his forehead against her midsection.

"Thank you," Tony said, his voice shaking slightly. Pepper just hummed as she continued to run her hands through Tony's hair. "I'm a bad father," Tony suddenly muttered. "I promised Peter I would be back as soon as I woke up from a nap...and I've been awake for hours, just hiding out in here," Tony huffed, his voice wavering even more.

Pepper didn't even know what to say. She had seen Tony in almost every mood and situation, but this was definitely a new one for her. She wasn't sure how to react.

"Well," She said carefully. "If it helps any, I ran into Steve. He said he had stayed with Peter till he fell asleep," Pepper said. Tony only let out a huff and shook his head.

"He's not even the kids father and he's willing to be with him, even if he's exhausted," Tony grumbled.

"Tony," Pepper said in a warning tone. "You needed sleep too. It's not like anyone is going to blame you for-"

"Peter will," Tony interjected. "I promised Peter I would be there, and I'm not. Pepper," Tony said, almost pleading as he said her name. "That kid was depending on me and I let him down. If I can't even be there for him...If I can't...God. Pepper, I'm screwing things up already."

"Tony Stark," Pepper warned. "Do not do this to yourself," She said as she pulled away and tilted Tony's head up so that he was looking at her. "There was no way you could be prepared for this. It's okay for you to struggle. It's okay for you to feel like you don't know what you're doing, and it's okay to feel _scared._ That's why you have me, Happy, and Rhody. And that was all Steve was trying to do. He was trying to be there for you. I know things are really messed up between you two. But I really do think that he still cares for you. And if-"

"But Peter. He's depending on me!" Tony said quickly, trying to desperately get the subject off of Steve. He would rather die than proceed down that road.

"Tony." Pepper hummed as she added pressure to her hands to let Tony know that she meant business. "He is a little boy. I'm sure he is just as scared as you. But he can't understand what others are feeling and needing right now. And if he can't do that...there is no way he is going to hold a grudge towards you because you didn't come when you said you would."

"You don't know that Pepper," Tony said dryly as he just blinked at the woman. "He's so smart and he's scared and-"

"That is enough Tony Stark," Pepper warned one more time as she let go of Tony's head. "I'm done trying to deal with your self pity. You can either accept that you make mistakes, forgive yourself, and move on, or I will just go back to New York." Tony's eyes widened and he bit his lip as he looked down at his lap.

"Okay," the inventor huffed quietly as he reached up and scratched the back of his neck. "Do you want to see him?" Tony then asked as he looked back up at Pepper.

"Only if you want me to," Pepper said with a kind smile. - And that was how the two ended up walking towards the medical wing.

As they walked through the front doors, the first thing that Tony noticed was the quiet voices coming from the room down the hall. The two approached as as Tony got closer he noticed that it was Bailey's room. The door was slightly open and the lights were dimmed. On further inspection, Tony saw that there were four other people in the room, spread out over chairs that were turned into makeshift beds. Tony figured they were Bailey's family, and he was about to just walk on and leave them alone, but the girl locked eyes with Tony and a wide smile crossed her face.

"Mr. Stark!" The young girl said as tony walked by the door, only to backpedal quickly. As he did so, he could hear some shuffling around in the room and before Tony could fully open the door, it was opened for him. A man in his mid fifties stood before him. He looked like an absolute wreck, but he had a wide grin on his face.

"Mr. Stark," the man said with wide eyes as he extended his arm forward. "My name is Russell, and this is my wife, Lynette," the man said as a woman appeared at his side. "We're Bailey's parents. We- We can't thank you enough. F-For brining our daughter back to us," Russell said as tears began to fall down his face.

Tony took the man's hand and gave a firm handshake before he walked into the room so that he could see the two adults better, as well as Bailey and the other occupants. Pepper simply stood in the doorway and watched.

"There is no reason to thank me," Tony said as he let go of Russell's hand and put both of his hands up in a defensive position. "I hardly did anything. If there is anyone you should be thanking, it's Captain Rogers," Tony said as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his black sweatpants.

"Oh we have," Lynette said with a small laugh. "He was here when we arrived. But don't sell yourself short Mr. Stark," the woman said as she gave Tony a smile. "Because without you our daughter wouldn't be getting such exceptional care...and she's safe. So Thank you Mr. Stark." The mother said, doing her best not to cry like her husband was now doing.

"If there is anything we can do to repay you. Anything at all. Please, let us know," Russell interjected, causing Tony to let out a small laugh.

"The only thing I want you to do is stay with your daughter. Don't worry about money, don't worry about how long it will take for a recovery. She, and your family, can stay as long as needed. There are guest bedrooms down the hall, and if you're hungry, I have a fully stocked kitchen that is for your use. If you have any questions my staff will be happy to help you." Tony said with a small smile. "We'll need to have a debriefing with your family about what happened to you daughter…" Tony said as he looked over at Bailey, who still had that smile on her face. "But I'm sure you have an idea. We'll also need to have a conversation about the future of that baby. But we'll do that at a later date," Tony said before moving to the edge of the bed where he patted on of the girl's feet. "You hanging in there Kiddo?" Tony asked.

"I sure am. Thank you Mr. Stark," Bailey said. "Thank you for bringing my family here. I can't thank you enough," the blonde hummed.

"Like I said, it's no problem. I just want you to get better, okay?" Tony said as he turned to look at everyone else in the room. He now noticed that there were two younger boys asleep in the chairs. Both were in their early teens, if not younger, and Tony figured that they were Bailey's brothers.

"It was nice to meet you," Tony said as he turned back to Russell and Lynette before backing towards the doorway. "You have a very brave daughter," Tony said before giving a quick wave. "Have a good night everyone," Tony said and then exited the room. But not before he heard a wave of "thank you"s coming from the room.

Now that Tony was back out in the dim hallway with only Pepper, he let out a shaky breath, his head dipping slightly. It was clear that the interaction he had just had made him more than a little stressed.

"You did good," Pepper said with a kind smile as she put a hand on Tony's back. And from there, they moved on in silence. They passed another room where Tony saw another family through the window. Tony assumed it was the other girls family, but didn't want to bother them, so he chose to continue on. As Tony rounded the corner, he saw that there was a figured asleep on a couch that was in a small waiting room next to the wing that Tony was about to enter. And who could it be but Steve Rogers.

He was out cold, still in his rogue Captain America uniform, and Tony couldn't help but think that it must be very uncomfortable to sleep in something like that. Part of him wanted to wake the captain up, but in the end he only stared at him for a moment before moving on. Steve needed the sleep. If he was uncomfortable, he wouldn't' be sleeping so hard. Or at least that's what Tony told himself. Anything to excuse himself from interacting with Steve.

Once they were past the doors, though, the thought of Steve being there filtered away. Because now he could see the small children in each bed. All three were either asleep, or looked like they were on some sort of medication.

Tony was quick to lead Pepper over to the bed where Peter was quietly sleeping. His eyes were closed and his long lashes tickled his cheeks that were pushed up from the way he was sleeping against the pillow. Peter's face was not peaceful. In fact it was very obvious that he had been crying, and a drying wet spot from the tears was evident on Peter's shirt, but Tony tried to ignore that. And to top it all off, the Captain America plush was held tight against Peter's chest as he slept.

"Oh Tony," Pepper gasped as she peered down at the sleeping boy. "He's absolutely precious," Pepper cooed as she leaned down and gently carded her hand through the boy's choppy hair. "He looks just like you did when you were a baby," She hummed quietly.

"You never saw me when I was a baby," Tony shot back, though he too had a smile on his face.

"Well, I saw pictures," Pepper replied quickly. "Did you...pick out his name?" Pepper suddenly asked. "Or did they give him that at the lab?" She suddenly asked.

"His mother gave it to him," Tony muttered, still not taking his eyes off of Peter. "It was one of her last requests...or at least that's what it said on their files."

"Mr. Stark!" A soft voice suddenly interjected. It was the doctor on call to the medical ward. The man had been in the corner of the room at a desk when the two had entered the room, and he didn't want to disturb them right when they entered. "It's good to see you," The black haired doctor said as he extended a hand to Tony. The inventor shook it once before turning away from Peter, hoping their talking wouldn't' wake him.

"Well, thank you for coming out Dr. Lucas. Do you have a status report for us?" Tony asked.

"I do," the man said as he motioned for Tony and Pepper to follow him towards his desk. Doctor Lucas sat down in his chair and began to type things into the computer as he spoke. "All three children have a few things in common. Malnutrition, a little bit of dehydration...and worms." The doctor said, causing Tony to raise a single eyebrow. "Actually everyone who was held captive has worms. After talking with the older girls, it is my understanding that their food was delivered to them on a dirt floor that was never cleaned. Honestly it's not surprising. But all of them are are being treated for that now." Dr. Lucas said, trying to put Tony's look of panic at ease.

"Anything else?" Tony asked, hoping the doctor had looked into Peter a little more.

"The other children have a few other issues, but that's all Peter has. Physically at least." Dr. Lucas said with a small smile. Tony opened his mouth to say something but the doctor raised a hand to quiet the man down. "I looked over the blood sample that was left for me, as well as the file that they had on Peter."

"Is he enhanced like the file says?" Tony said, maybe a little too quickly.

"To a degree, yes. Like I said, I looked at the blood sample, and It looks like his DNA has been infused with something else. I'm still trying to figure it out, but it is definitely not found in humans."

"Are there any sort of side effects to something like that?" Pepper suddenly asked.

"Well…" the Doctor said as he tilted his head from side to side, the pitch of his voice going up slightly. "It honestly looks like who ever was doing this stopped in the middle of what they were doing. It's obvious that Peter has heightened senses. Especially hearing. And I'm sure when we get an optometrist in here, we can see about Peter's eyesight. But honestly, that is all I see that's enhanced. I'm not sure if other things will appear as he grows, but it does look like whatever they were doing is incomplete. I'm sure some sort of foreign material would need to be introduced into his body before the full enhancements took place. Luckily for you, I'm one of the only doctors on in the country that specialises in enhanced individuals."

"You'll keep looking into his DNA, though, right? Make sure we know what's inside of him." Tony prompted.

"Of Course," Dr. Lucas said with a nod. "I will get back to you as soon as soon as I find anything else. In the meantime, I have an optometrist and a pediatrician scheduled to come in tomorrow to look at everyone. We'll just have to go off of what we find there," the man said.

"And when can Peter get out of the medical wing?" Tony asked, his arms crossing his chest.

"We will meet with the doctores tomorrow and then make a game plan from there. If everything goes smoothly I don't know why he couldn't be out in the next two days," Dr. Lucas replied.

"Two days," Tony muttered as he scrubbed his face with a free hand. "Okay. Two days. Got it. Thanks again for your help Dr. Lucas. Just keep me in the loop, okay?" Tony said as he began to turn back towards the beds in the room.

"Will do Mr. Stark," Dr. Lucas replied.

* * *

It was nearly three in the morning, and Tony was still awake. Both he and Pepper had taken up camp next to Peter's bed. They quietly talked back and forth between each other for a good part of the night. Pepper would get all of the legal stuff sorted out so that Peter would actually exist in the eyes of the government. From there they worked out getting a room ready for Peter. Tony wasn't sure how long Peter would stay with him, but both he and Pepper thought it was a good idea to give Peter his own room. From there they talked about little things, but soon Pepper fell asleep.

From then on Tony was only left with the information Dr. Lucas had given him, in addition to his own thoughts. Ideas and worries circulated through the inventor's mind before a tiny voice pulled him out of his head.

"Tony?" the small voice said, and Tony instantly turned his head to see Peter looking up at him from the bed. He hadn't moved, or even shifted, but his eyes were definitely open.

"Hey there Pete," Tony said as he shifted in the chair so that he was leaning closer to the bed, his elbows resting on his knees. "Did you have a good sleep?" He asked.

"Yeah," Peter said with a large yawn, but didn't move other than that. "Did you?" He then asked, his big doe eyes staring into Tony's soul.

"I sure did kiddo," Tony said with a warm laugh. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still scared," Peter muttered sleepily, "But you're back...so it's okay." Tony was so taken back by Peter's statement that he honestly didn't know what to say, and that gave time for the little boy to ask another question. "Why did you come back?" He suddenly asked.

"Oh Peter," Tony said, trying to ignore the feeling of his heart climbing out of his chest. "I would never leave you."

"But why?" the little boy asked, his eyes growing wider. "I'm not important."

"And that's where you're wrong kiddo," Tony said as he lifted a shaky hand and rested it on Peter's shoulder. "We...We are...We're connected in a lot more ways than you think." Tony was having a lot of emotions coming up and he wasn't sure if he should bring the subject up now, but before he could fully think, words were coming out of his mouth.

"Do you know what a father is Peter?" He suddenly asked.

"A father?" Peter asked, a little confused. Tony only nodded, prompting Peter to answer the question. "A father is someone who is related to a child. They share the same DNA...usually," Peter said as he blinked up at Tony.

The inventor raised a single eyebrow because, wow. That was a definition straight out of the dictionary.

"Yeah Peter, you got it right." Tony said as he nodded, trying to figure out how to get to the next question he was about to ask, but Peter beat him to it.

"Are you my father?" Peter asked, and suddenly Tony felt like he couldn't breathe.

"I-I-I-" Tony stammered as he quickly wiped his face with a hand before looking over at Peter. "Yeah Peter, I am," Tony said, cracking a nervous smile. Peter seemed to like this answer because a smile spread across his face, going from ear to ear.

"Can I call you dad?" Peter asked, his small eyebrows going up in anticipation.

"Oh Peter, no buddy." Tony said, his face falling as the tone in his voice fell as well. "I-I-I'm not your dad. Okay. There is a big difference between a dad and a father and-"

"Can I call you dad?" Peter asked again as if he hadn't even heard what Tony was saying.

The inventor let out a heavy sigh, his head dipping slightly as he tried to decide if he could tell this kid "no" a second time.

"Yeah Petey, you can call me dad," Tony said. Peter seemed to accept this as a good answer and simply closed his eyes before shifting slightly into a more comfortable position. "Good night...dad," He muttered.

Tony did his best to ignore the fluttering feeling that he felt in his chest, as well as the way Pepper grinned from ear to ear.

* * *

 **God. Little Peter just gets to me so much. I can't stand how cute he is.**

 **So a few things here:**

 **You should definitely find me on Tumblr (or leave a comment). I love interacting with all of you, it makes me so happy. I love to see what you enjoyed about the fic, what I could work on, and any ideas. (Because let's be real, this fic is constantly evolving. I would love to get readers ideas and input!) - My tumblr url is: Pookiethefrickinbunn - so come find me!**

 **Secondly, have anything you want to share with me about this fic? Or want to find some stuff/extras for this fic? You can find it under the hashtag: "YAMS Fic" on Tumblr. I've decided to do a little bit more on Tumblr with this fic so that's what is behind that...(and Honestly, I just started the hashtag today, so don't expect anything for a little bit.)**

 **And lastly. Would anyone be interested in hearing my spotify playlist for this fic? I have one, if it would help set a mood or anything...I just don't know if ya'll would be interested. Just let me know.**

 **Again, thank you all for all of your support. It means the world to me!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay. I know, I know. I'ts been a month since I posted. I'm really sorry.**

 **The first part of this chapter took me forever to wright. Seriously. I would type it up, delete it, and retype it again and again. I don't really like how it turned out, but I have to post something eventually. I'm sorry.**

 **Also, thank you all for the lovely comments you have left on here, as well as talking with me on Tumblr, I really appreciate it!**

 **This story is constantly evolving and I have some BIG plans for this! Hopefully I will get into a good grove and be able to update once a week, if not bi-weekly.**

* * *

To say that the following day was difficult was an understatement. Tony had been thrusted into this situation, and while he had some time to collect himself and his thoughts, he still wasn't ready to deal with a child...or all the children for that matter.

Tony had decided to camp out in the wing with all of the younger children. He had retrieved his tablet and settled down for a day of looking after Peter and getting some work done while Pepper took care of some legal business. As soon as the children woke up, though, it was harder to focus on work.

The youngest girl was the first to wake up. Her high pitched cries cut through the quietness of the room and made Tony jump in surprise. At the same time, Peter's eyes popped open and he looked around in distress and confusion as the girl continued to cry. The boy's wide eyes circled around the room, not focusing on anything, as the boy's chest heaved up and down.

It was clear to Tony that the boy didn't know where he was, and the man leaned forward to give Peter reassurance. But before he could do that, the child sat up and slapped both of his hands against his head, covering his ears as tears began to fall down his cheeks.

"Stop," Peter whined in between hiccuped breaths as he clenched his eyes closed and dipped his head towards his stomach. "Stop, please," he cried loudly over and over again as the girl continued to cry. And soon after the other boy had joined into the chorus of screams.

The loud screaming was really starting to bother Tony. And if it was bothering him, he couldn't imagine how Peter was feeling with his enhanced hearing.

It didn't take long, but soon a tired looking Dr. Lucas entered the room, followed by a few nurses. They began tending to the other children but Peter continued to cry and repeat the same words over and over.

"Peter. Hey bud," Tony heasiantly said as he reached a hand forward and set it on Peter's shaking frame. The boy's eyes quickly re-opened and he gave Tony a sideways glance but continued to cry. "It's okay Peter. You're here with me, remember? Everything's okay," Tony said, not really sure if he was saying the right things. Peter was quiet for a moment, but then spoke.

"Hurts," he sniffed as he straightened up, still not taking his hands off his ears.

"I'm sure it does buddy," Tony soothed as he lowered his hand to Peter's back where he began to rub it up and down. The inventor then turned to get a nurses attention, but Rita was standing next to him.

"Is there anything I can get for you Mr. Stark?" she asked, though her brow was creased and she was looking at Peter with concern.

"Find us some noise canceling earmuffs would you? We should have some in the shooting range," Tony said as he looked up at Rita in desperation. "Please."

"Yeah, of course," Rita said with a nod before leaving the room.

By the time she had returned only the small girl was crying, but Peter still had his hands over his ears. The only difference was that Tony had maneuvered himself so that he was sitting on the bed (careful not to move the IV attached to Peter) while the child leaned against Tony's chest. Even though the boy had woken up only minutes ago, he looked absolutely exhausted.

"Here you go Mr. Stark," Rita said as she presented the ear protection to Tony. The man mouthed a "thanks" before taking the headphones and silently slipping them over Peter's ears that were still covered by his hands. Slowly the man wrapped his hand around Peter's wrist and pulled his hand away, letting the earmuffs fall into place before he did the same on the other side.

Both Tony and Rita waited in silence as Peter reached up to feel what was on his ears before tilting his head up to look at Tony.

"Can you still hear me Peter?" He asked, curious to how well the earmuffs worked. The little boy blinked up a few times at the man before he nodded.

"Yeah," his small voice wobbled. "But it's better." With that Peter just shifted more into Tony's chest before closing his eyes like he was going to try and go back to sleep. Tony just looked at Rita in bewilderment. This kid was going to kill him, he was sure of it. Peter didn't seem to be moving any time soon, but Tony was starting to feel his back aching.

Rita was kind enough to re adjust the bed, and in a few minutes Tony found himself sitting upright against the propped up hospital bed, looking at his tablet while Peter snoozed on his chest.

At first Tony tried to focus on Stark Industries work, but the longer he sat there, the more he was distracted by the files that he had retrieved from the HYDRA base. Within an hour, Tony was completely invested in the files he had uploaded to the server.

There were thousands of hours of recorded video on all of the "Subjects" that had been in the base. Experiments on the mothers and children, as well as notes on each that were recorded by the doctors. Of course Tony only spent time looking at Peter's file.

Peter's file was probably the most extensive. He had over four hundred videos, and that fact alone made Tony's head spin. After Rita brought him some headphones, the inventor began to skim through the files. Each video was a recording of all the experiments, or assessments, they had done with Peter.

Each video was a different day and contained hours of Peter sitting in a chair in a brightly lit room while the doctors practically shoveled information down the kids throat. Peter had learned to read a little over a year after he was born. From there the doctors were having him literally read encyclopedias and dictionaries. He knew how to multiply and divide, the periodic table of elements, and other random facts, as well as rudimentary knowledge of Spanish and Russian. And all of that had been in the first few videos he had went through. There was no telling what all Peter knew.

In was clear that these men were grooming Peter to be as knowledgeable as possible and Tony feared that if Peter never would have been found, he probably would have been a deadly weapon for HYDRA. Peter had been grilled so hard when it came to learning, and right then and there, Tony swore that Peter would never skip grades or advance past where a child his age should be. Not unless Peter wanted that himself. Peter deserved a chance to be a kid. He would never keep that from him.

Right as Tony was about to move on, though, he found a video at the bottom of the folder. The icon was unmistakably Mary Parker, and Tony felt his breath catch in his throat. His eyes flickered over to the name of the file and it simply said: "Motivation". Tony had no idea what the hell that meant but he felt sick. Whatever this was, what ever message she had for Peter, or whatever footage this was, they were going to use it against Peter.

Tony's eyes flickered down to the sleeping boy that was a few inches away from his face and he quickly closed out of the file. This was something he would look at when he was alone.

"Mr. Stark," a voice called out, and Tony looked up to see Dr. Lucas accompanied by a woman. Tony quickly pulled out a single headphone and offered a bitter smile. "Mr. Stark, this is Doctor Mackenzie Graves, she's the pediatrician that I mentioned last night," Dr. Lucas said as the tall blonde woman extended a hand. Tony set this tablet down and took the woman's hand, a little surprised by how firm it was.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Stark," Dr. Graves said as a genuine smile spread across her face. "Dr. Lucas called me yesterday and told me about the children. I was eager to get here as soon as possible," She said as her eyes fell onto Peter. "Is this your son?"

Tony felt his heart skip a beat at the question and he did his best to hide the blush that was creeping up his neck as he looked down at Peter.

"Yeah, this is him," Tony hummed quietly as he gently patted Peter on the back. "Hey bud," he sighed as he pulled the earmuffs off of Peter's head. The little boy sleepily opened his eyes and looked around for a moment before his eyes landed on Tony. The boy had a perplexed expression on his face and the inventor just laughed quietly in the back of his throat as his patts turned into circles as he rubbed Peter's back.

"I have some nice people I want you to meet," Tony explained as he turned slightly to face the doctors. "You know Dr. Lucas," Tony began. "and this is our friend, Dr. Graves. She is a special doctor who makes sure little boys and girls like you stay healthy." Tony said as Peter began to push his face into his shoulder.

"I don't like doctors," Peter whimpered. "They give me shots, and yell and me, and make me feel bad," Peter said as he looked back at the two doctors with weary eyes. Before anyone could say anything, Dr. Graves squatted down so that she was eye level with Peter.

"I know some doctors were mean to you Peter, and it can be a little scary, but I'm a good doctor. I just want you to feel better. If I do anything to you that you don't like, you can tell me and we'll figure something else out okay? Plus you have your daddy here with you so if you get scared, just hold on to him, okay?" She said with a kind smile.

At the mention of the word "daddy" Peter's eyes lit up and a small smile spread across his face. Those big brown eyes shifted up and looked at Tony, who was clearly taken back, and all the man could do with timidly nod and return the smile. A light giggle erupted from Peter and he looked back at Dr. Graves with a little more confidence.

"Okay," He said as his eyes shifted to the small red, white, and blue lump that was resting at the foot of the bed. "But only if I can hold little Mr. America. He keeps me safe too."

Everyone could practically hear Tony's eyes rolling.

* * *

The time spent with Dr. Graves started out a bit rocky, but some progress was made. She gave Peter a full assessment and then prescribed some medicine for him to take till he was fully healthy. Thankfully there was no shots to be given. From there she made a weekly plan of what foods Peter should eat, how much, and a good target weight to aim for. Each week would be different, and she would changed it based on how well Peter did. She also gave the "okay" for Peter to be released from the medical ward, and from there she moved on to the other children.

Unfortunately Tony didn't have much of a break, though, because as soon as Dr. Graves left, the optometrist arrived. Peter honestly tried to put on a brave face, but when the doctor brought out a rather large machine and tried to get Peter to look into it...well, he lost it. There as a lot of screaming, and a lot of Peter trying to wriggle out of Tony's grasp, but the man as firm. After about an hour of going back and forth, Peter finally gave in and looked into the device.

The small boy was definitely in need of some glasses and the optometrist left a book of different styles and colors of glasses that Peter could choose from. Tony and Peter looked through the book for a long while before Peter decided on some hot-rod red glasses and a black pair. They would be delivered the next day.

As Dr. Lucas was taking out Peter's IV, Pepper walked into the room with a wide smile. She quickly locked eyes with Peter, and all the little boy could do was stare up at her in wonder.

"Hi Peter," Pepper said sweetly as she stood in front of the awestruck boy. "I'm a friend of your dad's. He has a big company and I run it all so that he can do important things, like be with you," She said as her smile grew.

"You're really pretty," was all Peter said as he gawked up at the red-head. Pepper lifted her eyebrows in surprise as she took in what Peter had said, but she just let out a warm laugh.

"Thank you Peter," She said, leaning forward to ruffle the boy's long and slightly tangled curls. "Anyways, you can just call me Aunt Pepper, okay? I'm going to be around a lot, so I'm sure we'll be good friends." She hummed.

"You were here with daddy last night, weren't you," Peter said as he looked between Pepper and Tony. The inventor kept his mouth shut as his eyes were trained on the bed as the redness began to creep up the man's neck again. But Pepper just nodded.

"Yeah, I was. I hope that was okay,' She said, not sure on how Peter felt about her yet.

"Yeah," Peter hummed, pulling his cap doll close to his body. "You were keeping daddy company, so that's okay." Peter explained before offering the woman a toothy grin.

"That's good to hear," Pepper said as her eyes flickered over to Tony. "Anyways, I'm here because I got a room ready for Peter," She explained. "FRIDAY said that Peter was cleared from here and I figured we could go see the room, and maybe the rest of the compound." Before Tony could even respond, Pepper turned her attention back to Peter. "And then maybe I could give you a haircut and you could get a bath?"

"That actually sounds like a great idea," Tony said with a smile before he tilted his head down to look at Peter who as still sitting in his lap. "What do you think bud?"

"Who is FRIDAY?" Peter suddenly asked. It was clear that Peter hadn't been following a word of what Pepper and Tony were saying. Tony pressed his lips together and hummed as he looked at the ceiling before looking down at Peter.

"Want to introduce yourself Fri?" Tony asked. There was a small lull of silence before the AI began speaking from almost out of nowhere.

"Hi there Peter," FRIDAY said, causing Peter to jump slightly in Tony's arms. His head snapped up and he looked at the ceiling in confusion. "My name is FRIDAY. I am an Artificial Intelligence, and I help Mr. Stark with all of his needs, as well as any that you might have. All you have to do is ask," The voice explained.

"Where is she?" The little boy asked, his eyes still searching the area around him.

"FRIDAY isn't a real person," Tony explained. "She's like a robot. A really really smart robot. This entire building is her home. She lives in the walls and the ceiling, and she sees everything. She is here to help us and keep us safe."

Peter just blinked back at Tony in bewilderment for a moment before looking back up at the ceiling. "So she's just a robot?" the little boy asked.

"That's right," Tony said with a nod.

"And she's not real?"

"Yep."

"Did you make her?" Peter asked.

"I sure did. I use to have one named JARVIS but...he moved away," Tony said, trying to think of a simple explanation to what had happened.

"And I can ask her anything?" Peter replied.

"Sure, any time, anywhere." With that, Peter paused for a moment before speaking again.

"What is the atomic number for potassium?" Peter suddenly asked, to which FRIDAY was quick to respond.

"The atomic number for potassium is 19. Do you have any other questions Peter?" The AI asked.

"How many legs does a spider have?"

"Eight."

"What planet has the shortest day in the solar system?"

"That would be Jupiter"

"Okay Regis Philbin, you can ask her the million dollar question later," Tony chuckled as he scooped Peter into his arms before carefully getting off of the bed.

"Wow," Peter whispered under his breath as he looked up at the ceiling. "She's amazing!"

"Not as amazing as JARVIS...but I guess she's pretty cool," Tony said as he readjusted Peter so he was resting on his hip. "

The three made their way out of the medical ward, but not before Peter said goodbye to the other children in the room. He made a promise to both of them that he would see them again, but the kids just stared back at him.

The first stop was the front lobby that seperated the medical bay from the business, to the living quarters. It was a large room with white walls and large glass windows and all Peter could do was stare at the windows quietly as they walked along.

"This is the main lobby. You can come in here if you want, but there are a lot of strangers that come through here, so we probably should stay away. Or only come in here with your daddy or me, okay?" Pepper said as she led the way. She waited for a response but didn't get one. The woman turned to see if Peter had heard her but the little boy was just looking around the room in almost shock. Even Tony had stopped to look at the boy.

"Is Everything okay Peter?" Tony asked, wondering if the boy was going to have some sort of panic attack.

"I-" Peter began hesitantly. "I've never seen outside…" Peter whispered as he eyed the large yard, lined with trees that was in front of him. "Only pictures. It's...green."

Everything Peter had been saying was another blow to him, and this one was definitely taking its toll. He couldn't imagine this kid never seeing the outside world. It explained why he was so scared when they were going from the labe to the jet, but he never fully understood the extent to Peter's captivity. It made sense...he just didn't think about it. In the end, maybe he just didn't _want_ to think about it.

"It's green most of the time. In the winter it turns brown, and when it snows, it's white," Tony explained. "There are a bunch of windows here, so you can look out them all you like," the inventor said as he gave an unsure glance to Pepper. The look she gave didn't help him much.

"Does my room have windows?" Peter asked hopefully as he eyes suddenly moved back onto Tony.

"We'll just have to go up and find out, won't we," Tony prompted as he began to step forward.

* * *

From there they moved into the living area. The first room they entered was the common area with the attached kitchen. Once the doors were closed behind them from the lobby, Tony set Peter down so he could walk. Peter didn't try to cling on to the inventor, but he did hold his hand as soon as he was placed on the ground.

"You can come here anytime you want. There is a TV so we can watch movies and shows. And we can even pull out the Wii and play games," Tony said heasently. Peter just continued to hold on to the man's hand as he held his cap plush close to his chest. "And the couches are a great place to take naps. I'm sure we could do that soon. God knows I need one," Tony muttered as he took his freehand and ran it through his hair.

From there, Tony led Peter to the kitchen side of the room as Pepper trailed behind. "This is where we eat. There is food in here, and you can have any of it, but you need to ask first, okay?" Tony said, squeezing Peter's hand gently.

"Why?" The little boy asked innocently, his head tilting upward to look at the man.

"Because there are some dangerous things here. The stove could burn you, and there are sharp objects here, and you could fall if you tried to climb up to the cabinets. So if you want anything, you have to ask an adult to help you. That could be me, or Pepper."

"Or Mr. America?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, sure. If Mr. America stays around, even he can help you. Just don't do anything by yourself," Tony warned. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Okay," Peter said simply as he began to look the kitchen over. - Once Peter was done observing all the kitchen appliances, they moved down the hall to the bedrooms. Peter seemed to stall a little at the threshold but he slowly made his way down the hall. Tony didn't think much about it at first, but they more they ventured down the hall, the more he began to realize that it looked a lot like the hallway to the cells that the children had been kept in. They would need to brighten it up a little...maybe put some art or pictures up on the wall.

"See that door at the very end of the hall?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Peter said as he was practically walking on top of Tony.

"That is my room. That is where I sleep, and if you need anything at all, that is where you go to find me, okay?" Tony said as he stopped to look down at Peter. "You can come in the middle of the night. And if I'm not there, you just ask FRIDAY and she will tell you."

"Okay." Peter said with a small nod. "But where will I stay?" Peter asked, his big eyes now scanning the other closed doors that were nearby.

"You're right here, next to Tony," Pepper said as she moved past the boys to the door that was to the left of Tony's room. With that Pepper pushed open the doors and flipped on the lights. Peter hesantly stood in place, almost looking at Tony for permission to go inside. The inventor gave a slight nod and gave Peter a smile before he began to move. Once at the threshold of the door, he just stood there, looking at the room in what Tony assumed was shock.

It was huge, especially for a boy Peter's size. It was clear that it was designed for a large bed, but that bed had been moved out and replaced with a toddler bed. It had a striped gray and navy blue comforter on top of it, with matching pillows and a stuffed shark sitting at the edge of the bed. It seemed a little tall for Peter to crawl into, but some wooden steps were at the end of the bed so that Peter could easily crawl inside. A small dresser and empty bookcase were to the right of the bed along the wall, while a night stand sat to the left with a lamp on it. And the wall opposite was simply a large window. Besides that the room was fairly empty.

"I don't know what kinds of things you like," Pepper said as she watched Peter. I didn't want to get things you didn't like...so I thought maybe we could pick things out together. Maybe a few posters and toys." Pepper suggested

"Yeah, okay," Peter nodded before he made his way fully into the room. His first stop was the bed. He ran his small hand over the comforter for a moment before he leaned his entire body against the bed, resting his head on the mattress.

"It's soft," Peter said as he smushed his cheeks harder into the mattress before bypassing everything else to stop in front of the window. The little boy now pressed his face up against the pane, along with his hands, and looked down at the outside world round him before simply lowering himself onto the carpeted floor. "Even your floor is soft!" Peter proclaimed and he began to roll around on the floor. At first he seemed to be doing it as just something to be doing, but soon giggles began to erupt from the little boy as he rolled around the entire room, flinging the plush around with him.

"You think he likes it?" Pepper asked as she and Tony watched the small boy.

"Just look at him," Tony said with a small smile as he leaned against the wall. "He's so happy he can't contain himself. Or he's just doing whatever kids do. What do I know," Tony said with a small shrug, though his eyes never left Peter.

"Tony-" Pepper began but the man cut her off as he positioned himself to look at the woman.

"You did good Pep. It looks great, he's obviously happy. It's good for a last minute set up," Tony said, giving her a smile. "I really appreciate it," Tony said and before Pepper could respond, the older man walked over to Peter (who was still gleefully rolling on the floor) and leaned down to pick him up.

"Okay monkey, that's enough. You can do this another time," Tony said as he caught the giggling boy between his hands and pulled him up into his arms.

"Daaaaaad," Peter called in between giggles. Peter acted like he didn't want to stop, but the fact that he tucked himself into Tony said otherwise.

"Let's get a bath, okay? I'm sure you're filthy," Tony said as he moved towards a pair of doors in the corner of the room.

"What's in there?" Peter asked curiously as they got closer and closer.

"That's your bathroom. Just for you," Tony said as he pushed open the door. To be honest, Tony had been expecting a few basic furnishings for the bathroom. A towel here, a bottle of shampoo there, and maybe some soap. What he saw, though, was completely different. Pepper had really outdone herself.

The walls were a red and the lights gave off a soft glow, giving the room a warm feel to it. Red and white towels hung on the walls next to the bathtub, and around the sides were shampoo and conditioner bottles, kids body wash, a few washcloths, and then a small toy boat and a rubber ducky. Besides that there was a training seat next to the toilet, along with a stepping stool, and another stepping stool that lead up to the skink. Sitting on the sink edge was a bottle of blue foam soap, a small toothbrush,and some toothpaste. In a large cabinet towards the back of the room, Tony saw a door had been left open and there were a few pull-ups and diapers, along with wipes.

Both Tony and Peter gawked at the room for a long moment before Tony turned around to thank Pepper. Unfortunately the woman had left, leaving Tony and Peter alone. The larger man tried to ignore the lump of emotion that was building his his chest and instead put Peter down before moving to the bathtub to begin filling it up.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked as he moved next to Tony, looking down at the tub that was now filling up with water.

"I'm filling the tub with water so you can take a bath," Tony explained, thinking it was a little weird that Peter would ask a question like that.

"Is that how people normally get clean?" Peter asked, his brows knitting together.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked as he turned to look at his son. Peter's face turned a red as he realised that maybe he said something wrong and he looked down at his feet, not saying a word. "Peter?" Tony pressed but the boy was silent for a while before speaking.

"When they wanted to clean us...they would just spray cold water on us with a hose," Peter explained, still not looking at Tony.

The man stilled, his blood running cold as he listened to Peter's words, and in that moment, he wished he would have been there with Steve to kill the bastards that had been keeping Peter.

"Well," Tony said carefully as he looked over at Peter. "We're going to do things a little different. I'm going to fill this tub with warm water and you're going to get it and then we'll wash all the dirt off of you," Tony said as he leaned forward and grabbed the boat, holding it up to show Peter. "You can even play in here for a little bit if you want," Tony said, pressing a smile.

Peter eyed him as if he were insane. It was like the thing Tony was proposing was crazy, and Peter looked at him for a long while before he pressed his lips together and looked back at the tub that was more than halfway full. " _Okay_ ," Peter said with a shrug, as if to say: "I don't know about this, but I'll do it anyways."

"You'll like it, don't worry," Tony insisted as he turned off the water before reaching Peter. The first thing he did was took the small hospital gown off of him. From there, Tony went to remove the diaper Peter was wearing. It seemed heavy, but when Tony removed it, it was only urine. Letting out a sigh of relief, Tony absently tossed the diaper in the trash before turning back to Peter. "Ready to get in?" he asked.

"I guess," Peter said with a shrug as he nervously looked at the water.

"You'll be okay," Tony said as he picked Peter up and gently held him above the water. Ever so slowly he dipped the little boy's feet in.

"Hot!" Peter yelped as he clung onto Tony's shirt, but the man continued to lower the boy into the water.

"It's okay. It's not that hot, you'll get used to it," Tony insisted, and Tony was right. Peter didn't protest about the temperature after that. Soon Peter was fully sitting in the tub, the water going up to his chest. "You doing okay?" Tony asked, as Peter began to move his arms around in the water, making small waves and splashes.

"Yeah," the little voice called out, still hesitant as he moved around. All fear that Peter might not be able to handle a bath melted away, though, and soon the boy was splashing in the bath and playing with the boat and duck that Pepper had left for him. Even Tony was getting in on the action. The two had just finished a rather intense splashing contest when Tony decided to take off his now soaked t-shirt, leaving him in a white undershirt.

From there Tony calmed down Peter and began to wash the little boy's hair. As he was doing so, though, Peter leaned forward and grabbed ahold of the collar of Tony's undershirt, pulling it down.

"Who hurt you?" Peter asked, breaking the comfortable silence. Tony stilled instantly, knowing that Peter must have seen the scar that had been left by the removal of his arc reactor.

A thousand different responses ran through Tony's head and the man curled Peter's hair so it was sitting in a sudsy lump on his head before he pulled back to look at the little boy. Peter was still holding on to Tony's shirt and was looking at the spot with great concern.

"A long time ago, before you were born, some bad men captured me. I...I stayed with them for a for a while...but I got hurt during that time," Tony said carefully. This was a dangerous subject to be talking about. Tony didn't want to put Peter into a panic attack, much less himself.

"Just like me," Peter said as he pulled himself to his knees and reached out to touch the scar with his tiny hand.

Tony jerked back slightly, his heart hammering in his ears. That area was always a touchy place for him, ever since Afghanistan. Even with the arc reactor, only Pepper and Steve had ever touched that spot. One could even say that Tony was even more reserve, now that that arc reactor was gone, because all that was left was an ugly _scar_.

"Y-yeah. I guess so," Tony said as as he took one of his hands and layed it over Peter's, pushing it against his chest. "I guess we have that in common, huh?" Tony said, giving Peter a small smile. He had never thought of it like that.

"It's big," Peter commented as he pulled his hand from under Tony's, only to trace the outline of the scar with as single finger. "Were you scared?" Peter then asked, his brown eyes flicking up to Tony's.

"Of course," Tony said with a nervous laugh as he watched his son. "But it's okay to be afraid."

"Do you have nightmares?"

"All the time," Tony said, looking away from Peter.

"I have nightmares all the time too," Peter said as his hand stopped in the middle of the scar again. "If...If you get scared, you can always come to me...okay?" Peter said.

Tony locked eyes with Peter, and even though the boy was young, Tony knew he was being sincere.

"That sounds like a good plan Peter-Pan," Tony said as he took Peter's small hand into his own, squeezing it tightly. "But that means if you get scared, you come to me, okay? I'll keep you safe from all those bad thoughts," Tony said as he took his other hand and cupped the little boy's damp face.

"Promise?"

"Promise."


	9. Chapter 9

**I know, this is an extremely late update. Sorry about that. Not a lot happens in this chapter, but I wanted to get it out because you all deserve to know what happens next. Enjoy!**

* * *

A heavy sigh escaped Tony's mouth as he slowly climbed into bed. His aged body popped and cracked as he leaned forward and pulled the covers over him. "Lights," Tony commanded, and soon he has laying in darkness. And Tony tried to fall asleep, he really did, but the day's events were still running through his mind.

After the bath Tony had toweled Peter off before putting on a diaper. He still had no idea whether or not Peter was potty trained, but he was too tired to ask and he didn't want to deal with an accident in a new bed. From there the two ventured into Peter's bedroom where they went through the closet and dresser. There were a few outfits that Pepper had supplied, but none were suitable for sleeping. Tony assumed she had it on her list of things to get, but he would remind her, just in case. - Right. He still needed to do that.

Without suitable pajamas, Tony opted for getting one of his old T-shirts for Peter to wear. Tony took Peter into his room and showed him around before finally stopping by the closet to get a shirt. It was an old gray T-shirt that said _Stark Industries_ on the front in black letters, and when Tony put it on Peter it seemed to eat him.

"Is this a dress?" the little boy had asked with a giggle as he flapped his arms up and down.

"It's not on me, but I think you could pull off the dress look. I'm sure it fit it with all the fashion trends in the fall," Tony teased, but Peter just giggled in return. He was oblivious to Tony's reference.

"Okay. So that one went over your head. Guess we can't win them all," Tony muttered under his breath as he tousled Peter's messy hair.

From there the two had wondered around the living area a bit more before Pepper cornered them in the common room. She was adamant about Peter needing a haircut because his hair was _horrendous._ The little boy was a little wary when Pepper pulled out the scissors but Tony was quick to distract him. After one quick Google search for "popular children's cartoons" Tony decided on the show _Paw Patrol._ With some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches divided up between the three, they all sat in front of the TV, watching talking dogs work together as Pepper cut Peter's hair. Even after Pepper was done, the three ended up watching an additional four episodes of the dogs. They were just too witty and cute, but of course Tony would never admit that out loud.

"He's had a long day," Pepper hummed as she turned off the TV. Tony was already standing and scooping the dozing boy into his arms.

"I think we all have," Tony said as he made his way towards the mouth of the hall "Thanks, Goodnight Pepper." - It was only eight thirty in the evening, but Tony was absolutely exhausted. As soon as he put Peter to bed, he was going to crash.

Tony was a little surprised, though, when the boy didn't wake up after he had put him to bed. He figured with Peter's sensitivity to the world around him it would wake him, but he was wrong. It just proved to him how wiped out the little boy was.

Tony stood over the bed, watching as Peter's chest steadily rose and fell with each breath. He was here. He was going to be okay. Nothing bad was going to happen to him.

"Goodnight squirt," the inventor hummed, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Peter's head before leaving the room. "Friday, If Peter wakes up and he's scared, let him know where I am," Tony said to his AI once he was back out in the hallway. - And now here he was laying in bed, desperately trying to get his mind to calm down so that he could give his tired body a rest.

In all honesty, Tony had no idea if he had actually fallen asleep. He remembered laying on his back and staring up in the direction of the ceiling, the room completely dark. He remembered that his mind was running a million miles an hour...and then he lost time. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he could make out the shape of the light fixtures that hung from the ceiling. He could see the corners of the room and if he looked around, Tony was sure he could see the general shape of all the furniture.

The man scrubbed his face and let out a shaky breath. He was sure he had fallen asleep, but only a glance at the clock would confirm his theory. So with one fluid movement, Tony rolled onto his side to look at the glowing digital clock that was at his bedside. What Tony was not expecting was to come face to face with a small figure that was literally two inches from his face. He could see the dark outline of the figure, but what really stuck out were the big round eyes that stared back at him.

"Jesus Fucking Christ!" Tony screamed as his heart leaped up into his throat. The man knew that it was Peter, he absolutely knew. Even a split second before he reacted Tony knew it was likely that it was his child, but his body was on autopilot. As Tony screamed his bolted upright and practically dove over onto the other side of the bed. It was silent as Tony just sat there blinking back at the two eyes that returned his gaze. "Peter?" he finally stammered.

"Sorry," came a small voice as the figure shifted their weight from one foot to the other. "I didn't mean to scare you," it called out. "But I can't sleep."

Of Course he couldn't sleep.

"N-No, it's okay Peter," Tony said as he pushed himself back to the side of the bed he had been sleeping on. "Did you have a nightmare or something?" he asked as he stretched out his arms, taking the little boy in them.

Peter was cold and shaking, and honestly, Tony was a little surprised by that. But as soon as the two touched, Peter was quick to move into Tony's embrace. The older man pulled Peter close to his chest and layed back down before rolling over so that Peter was closer to the middle of the bed instead of the edge. With that the man took his large hands and pushed back Peter's hair so that it was out of the little boy's face. Now the father and son just layed in bed, staring back at each other.

"I'm sorry," Peter finally said, his voice shaking as tears began to collect on the edges of his eyes. "Please don't be mad! I-I just had a nightmare and I woke up and-"

"Hey, Hey, Hey!" Tony said in alarm as he took his thumb and gently wiped away the tears that were now falling down Peter's cheeks. "I'm not mad! You just startled me," Tony said before humming in the back of his throat. "I could never be mad at you, okay? So don't tell me you're sorry." Tony said, pulling Peter into a soft hug before resting his chin on the top of his head. "Do you want to sleep here with me tonight?" he then asked.

Peter was still shaking but at Tony's offer the boy instantly relaxed. His body wasn't shaking as much and his uneven breaths had calmed down. The little boy simply raised an hand and rested it on Tony's chest, directly on top of his arc reactor scar before a muffled "Yes please," escaped his mouth.

"Allright, it's settled then," the inventor hummed before pulling away from Peter slightly so that he wouldn't smother the boy in his sleep. Peter still kept his hand in the same spot on Tony's chest, but his eyes wandered up to his father's face, looking for comfort. And that's exactly what he got.

"How long were you standing there anyways?" Tony asked, letting out a large yawn as he stared back at the little boy.

"I dunno...maybe ten minutes?' Peter said carefully. "I didn't want to wake you up...but then you woke up all by yourself," the little boy explained.

"Well next time, instead of just standing there and watching me sleep, you can just wake me up. I won't get mad, okay? And there will be less screaming on my end," Tony said, a small smile pulling on the edge of his lips.

"Okay," Peter said as a sleepy smile appeared on his face as well. The two layed there in silence for a long moment before Peter's small voice spoke up again. "G'night daddy," Peter said, his eyes almost all the way closed. "I love you."

"I love you too Peter," Tony said as he felt something whell up in his chest. "I love you to the moon and back."

God damn this kid was going to kill him.

* * *

Tony was surprised to wake up to sun filtering into the room. Normally he was awake before the sun even came up, or he was asleep when it was already daytime, causing him to use the curtains. This was different though. The room was bright and _warm._

Tony's eyes surveyed his surroundings before his eyes fell onto the little boy who was taking up most of his king sized bed. During the night Peter had wormed his way away from Tony and underneath the covers before sprawling out on his stomach. His little arms and legs took up a lot more space than Tony thought a kid his age could. But in all honestly didn't mind Tony. _Starfish sleeper,_ Tony though, keeping a mental note on all of Peter's habits.

The warm golden light of the sun hit Peter's round cheeks and highlighted his brown hair, making it look almost golden. And from where Tony lay, he could still see the rise and fall of Peter's body as he took in long breaths. And...was that snoring? It was soft and scratchy, but definitely there.

In the golden sunlight Tony could only think of how important Peter had become to him in such a short time. Tony had been in kind of a dark spot in his life...but Peter was like then sunshine. He was there to make it better. Brighter. The elder Stark wished he could stay like that forever, just the two of them sharing that moment. But after a while the little boy's eyes lazily opened.

"Good morning Petey," Tony said as a broad smile spread across his face. "Did you sleep okay?" asked.

"Morning daddy!" Peter replied back as he pushed himself up onto his knees, rubbing his face with small fists to get the sleep out of his eyes. "And yeah I did. I like your bed better than mine though. It's nice and hard."

"Did you say my bed is hard?" Tony asked as his browns pulled together in confusion. "I'll have you know that I have a very nice and comfortable bed.

"Well...my bed is really squishy. I don't like it." Peter explained. "Your's is hard...it's nice." Peter said, giving Tony a reassuring smile.

"Oh. So you like a firm mattress, huh? Well, we'll get Pepper to change that so you feel better when you sleep," Tony said as he began to sit up.

"Or I can just sleep here with you," Peter offered innocently. A nervous laugh bubbled out of Tony's throat and he shook his head as he sat up.

"You can sleep with me every once in a while, but when you get older, you'll be too big! You'll have to sleep in your own bed then."

"But I'm not big yet so until then I'll sleep with you," Peter said confidently.

"Sounds like a plan for now," Tony laughed as he pushed his legs over the bed and stood up. "Alright. How about we change your diaper and go get some breakfast!" the man suggested as he began to move towards the door and then down the hall towards Peter's room.

"Okay!" the little boy replied as he slid off of the bed and followed Tony out of the room. By the time Peter and Tony were in the bathroom the man could tell that Peter was waddling uncomfortably.

"Hey Peter, do you know how to use a toilet?" Tony asked as he reached into the cabinet to get either diapers or pull ups, depending on what Peter said.

"No?" the little boy said in confusion as he looked over at the toilet.

Okay, so it was going to be diapers.

"I mean, I've see them and people use them but...I've never used one." Peter said as red began to creep up the little boy's neck and onto his face. Tony figured as much, but the more he thought about Peter's answer, the more upset he was getting. The little boy had to have been going somewhere, and as far as Tony knew, the children had not been kept with diapers on. And if so, the were not fresh. Honestly, Tony felt sick to his stomach, but he tried to not let it show.

"That's okay," Tony said after taking a deep breath. "I'll teach you. It's pretty easy! Now lay down so I can change you," Tony instructed as he pulled out the changing mat, and a fresh diaper. He was sure he needed more, but he wasn't really sure what. He had only changed a wet diaper, and other than that he had no experience with this. He was kind of winging it.

"Friday, please tell me how to change a diaper," Tony said hesitantly as Peter obeyed, laying down on the mat. With that Tony pulled up the T-shirt Peter was wearing so that his bottom was free from obstruction. Now he could see that Peter was pretty full. "A very poopy diaper," Tony specified as he eyed the bulging material.

"First I would suggest getting wipes, and baby powder. You'll need them later. As well as a trashcan nearby." Friday's voice rang out. As she spoke Peter quietly looked up at the ceiling with a wide smile on his face.

"Okay sure," Tony said hesitantly as he stood up and walked back over to the cabinet before returning shortly with the items. "Now what?"

"Unfasten the diaper and lift the child's legs up. Wipe up as much mess as you can with the diaper before folding it in half and throwing it away. Make sure his bottom does not touch the mat until he is clean. I would suggest having wipes nearby to clean up the rest, boss." The AI responded.

"Right okay," Tony hummed as he eyed Peter's diaper. Honestly this was giving him a lot of anxiety. He had never done anything like this. Part of him wanted to ask Pepper for help, but another part of him didn't want any help because god dammit, he was the kid's father. He would need to know how to do this sooner or later. "Okay. You got this," Tony said as his hands hovered over the tabs of the diaper. "You're Tony Stark for god sakes. You can do anything. So that means you can change a diaper," Tony muttered to himself before taking one more deep breath and going for it. In one fluid movement he was awkwardly picking Peter's ankles up, and the next he was undoing the diaper.

And in the next second Tony froze. It looked about how he thought it would look, but the smell hit him pretty quick. Tony could only sit there as he tried to keep his composure while trying to suppress the urge to gag.

"Boss," Friday commented. "I would suggest that you don't wait much longer with this task. It will only make it worse, and I'm sure the boy is uncomfortable."

"I'm okay!" Peter said quietly as Tony grit his teeth and rolled his eyes at Friday's commentary, unaware that Peter had even said anything.

"Not helping friday," Tony said through his teeth. Suddenly Tony couldn't hold it in anymore and his body convulsed as he leaned away from the stinky mess and let out a horrible gagging noise.

"G-Good God." Tony said in between gagas as he desperately tried to get his breathing under control.

"I'm sorry," a small whine piped up as Peter watched with a concerned look on his face.

"N-No. It-it's okay P-Peter." Tony continued. "You're okay. This i-is all on me," Tony said as he squeezed his eyes shut, taking in a steady breath. It took it a moment but he was finally able to compose himself and then continued with his task.

The inventor didn't even bother to fold the diaper up, he simply scraped what he could off of Peter and then tossed it away before wiping Peter down with some wipes and setting the boy's legs down.

"I'm sorry," Peter whined again as he looked at Tony with obvious concern.

"Don't be sorry Peter. It's not your fault," Tony said with a nervous smile before taking the baby powder and applying it to Peter. Within a few minutes Peter was standing back up again in a fresh diaper.

"Congratulations Boss! You can now add diaper changing to your resumé." Friday proclaimed.

"When did you become so sassy?" Tony grumbled as he rolled his eyes before getting up and stepping towards the sink to wash his hands. Looking back at his son, Tony sighed. "Okay Peter. While changing your diaper is great, and I feel like we've really bonded, I honestly don't want to repeat that. So try not to go in your diaper, okay? It's okay to have accidents, don't feel bad if you do go in it...but if you have to go to the bathroom, just tell me and we'll work on that. Okay?" Tony said wearly as he eyed the little boy.

"Okay," Peter said with a nod.

"Alright then. Let's go get breakfast, huh?" Tony said as he dried his hands and ushered Peter out of the bathroom. He would deal with the diaper in the trash later.

* * *

When Pepper walked into the kitchen area of the living-space, she was surprised to see Tony and Peter sitting at the table with eggs, turkey-bacon, and apple slices on each plate. Honestly the eggs looked overcooked, the bacon looked a little more crispy than it should for peak taste, and the apples were cut askew with seeds still on some of the edges of the fruit. But when Pepper looked over to Peter, he was eating the food with a big smile on his face. It was clear he was enjoying himself, and Pepper didn't want to say anything to ruin that.

"Did Tony cook you breakfast?" Pepper asked as she sat down at the table across from Peter and next to Tony. Both boys turned their heads to look at Pepper and Peter opened his full mouth at the sight of her.

"Aunt Pepper!" Peter giggled as egg spewed from his mouth and onto the table and plate underneath him.

"Good morning Peter," Pepper hummed as she leaned on one arm and reached out with the other to snag an apple off of Tony's plate. "Did you sleep okay in your new bed?" she asked, pulling off a few seeds before popping it into her mouth.

"No," Peter said innocently, shaking his head before finishing the food in his mouth. "I slept with daddy all night! I was too scared and the bed is too squishy," Peter said before taking some eggs in his hand and shoving it into his mouth.

Tony simply watched Peter as he ate his own food. He figured he would normally have Peter eat with a fork, but he was a kid, he could do what he want. Also, did he even know how to use a fork? Or did they just eat with their hands while in captivity? Honestly, Tony would not have be surprised if they had.

"Sorry Pep, Peter seems to like a firm mattress," Tony said, turning his head to look at the woman a little closer. "So what brings you here this early in the morning?" he asked.

"What, I can't just come up here to visit Peter?" Pepper said innocently before taking another apple off of Tony's plate. The inventor scrunched his nose together and stuck out his tongue, but the woman simply shook his head. "I did come up here to see Peter," she continued. "But I also came to tell you a few things," Pepper said as she shifted herself to look at Tony a little better.

"Lay it on me," Tony commanded.

"Well," She said, taking a deep breath. "I have a few things, but the most important one is that Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters will be coming today. I received a call from their office an hour ago so they should be here soon. They would like to meet with you and the girls that were kept...at that place. I think they are also evaluating the other two children," Pepper said as she watched Peter eat from the corner of her eye.

"What about Peter?" Tony asked. He tried not to show how hesitantly he had asked, but his voice gave it away.

"I'm not sure, but they didn't express interest in him. Either way, I should probably be there with you as well. I'm sure there is some legal paperwork one of us will have to fill out."

"Then who will watch Peter?" Tony asked, his eyes now solidly on the boy. He was eating, but it was clear that Peter was listening with interest.

"I can't just go with you?" Peter asked, his brows knitting together.

"I'm sure you can Peter. But it's going to be awfully boring, and you're going to have to behave so that the adults can talk," Pepper explained with a kind smile. And even though Pepper had good intentions, Tony couldn't help but feel put off by that statement. He felt like that was something Howard would have told him. And by God, he wasn't going to do anything that reminded him of Howard.

"Nah,' Tony said waving Pepper off. "I'm sure there is a toy in Peter's room he could bring to play with. Or he can watch something on the tablet. I'll have Friday download some games."

"You just have to be quiet so that we can talk-"

"And if you do make noises it will be okay because you're just a kid and-"

"Tony," Pepper warned as she raised an eyebrow. It was obvious that they had different opinions.

"I could stay with Peter,' a voice suddenly called out and the three looked up to see Steve Rogers standing at the threshold of the room. It was clear that his presence had taken them by surprise and the solder cracked a sheepish smile as he took a step closer. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on everyone. I just came in for breakfast and couldn't help but hear your conversation." - Tony blinked a few times as he looked at Steve. He was trying to process if that was actually a good idea, but before he could say anything someone else spoke up.

"Yeah! I wanna play with Mr. America," Peter interjected enthusiastically as he slammed his little fists on the table, sending two apple slices a few inches into the air before they landed outside of Peter's plate.

Tony looked over at Peter who was grinning back at him. His focus then went over to Pepper and then his gaze landed on Steve. There was absolutely no way he was going to let Steve watch Peter. It's not like he didn't think Steve was capable. He just had his own issues to work out with the man before-

"Please!" the little boy said when Tony had not said anything.

"Alright, alright. Mr. America can stay with you," Tony said with a heavy sigh as he rolled his eyes. It was clear Peter had a thing for Steve, and the inventor wasn't sure how thrilled he was about it.

"Yay," Peter cheered as he wiggled his little body from side to side as he sat in his chair.

"Then that settles it. Steve will watch Peter till we are finished," Pepper said as she stood up and grabbed Tony's arm, hauling him out of his seat. "Let's get you looking presentable. They will be here soon," she said and began to tow the man out of the room. "We'll be back later Peter, just be good for Mr. Rogers and do what he tells you to do." Pepper said with a small wave.

"Okay," Peter said as he waved back at a very agitated Tony and a smug looking Pepper.

"I'll be back soon buddy," Tony said quickly, trying to get in a quick goodbye. "I love you," he added on before he brain could stop him. He didn't know why he had said it...it just sort of fell out of his mouth.

A warm feeling was creeping in Tony's chest and he tried to process his emotions, and it didn't help that Peter replied with a "Love you too." - Before he could do anything about it, he was out the door with Pepper.

Now it was only Steve and Peter.

"Are you hungry?" Peter asked as he eyed Steve who was now sitting down at the table across from Peter.

"I sure am," Steve said as a small smile spread across his face. The food Tony had cooked was out on the table so Steve simply grabbed a spare plate and began to serve himself some eggs and bacon.

"Well, eat up all that food. You have to eat a lot to be big and strong," Peter said, his attention now back on his own plate of food.

"You go it mostly right," Steve chuckled as he began to eat the overly cooked breakfast.

From there the two fell into a comfortable silence of just eating. They stayed like that for a while and Peter seemed to be content with it. Steve simply ate his food as he watched Peter eat his own. When the little boy was finished, Steve got up to take his plate and wash it, but the little boy opened his mouth before he could touch the plate.

"I didn't recognize you with you beard," Peter said, his eyes trained to the table a few inches in front of him.

Steve suddenly stopped, his breath catching in his throat as his eyes shot up to Peter. What had he just said?

"What do you mean by that Peter?" Steve asked as he forgot about the plate and sat back down in his seat.

"When you got me and the others out of that place...I didn't recognize you because you had a beard," Peter explained, his eyes still avoiding Steve as he spoke. "But you're Steven Grant Rogers, Captain America. Born July 4th, 1918. Right?" Peter asked, his large brown eyes now flickering up to meet Steve's.

"How-?" Steve began but then recalled that Peter had been in a HYDRA base. He knew very little about what they had wanted Peter for, but from the file he had read over, and some questions he had asked FRIDAY about Tony's findings, he had a fairly good idea. "How much do you know?" Steve finally asked.

"Everything," Peter said almost automatically, though his voice quivered slightly. It was obvious he was nervous.

"Everything?"

"Yeah. Everything about you. Even stuff before you became Captain America. I know about Mr. Barnes and I know about your shield and-"

"Wait," Steve said in shock as he leaned forward towards Peter. "You even know about Bucky?" Steve asked. Peter shrank back a little more and his eyes went back to his lap as he began to grab at his own fingers with nervous energy.

"Sure. I know about all of the Avengers," Peter said with a shrug. "I know about Natasha Romanova and the red room...and a lot more. I know about Dr. Bruce Banner and his work with gamma radiation. And then Tony and his Iron Man suits. I know how they are built and how to shut them down and stuff like that...but that's only for the old suits." Peter said in a quiet voice.

"You know your dad is Iron Man?" Steve asked, to which he got a head nod. "And you know how his old suits work. Inside and out?" Steve asked, getting another nod. And all Steve could do was look at Peter in shock. Because _holy shit_ , if they would have never found Peter, HYDRA would have turned him into a deadly tool. He would have been the ultimate weapon. He could have easily infiltrated them and taken them down from the inside.

In fact..it could be happening right now.

Steve stood up slowly and made his way around the table so that he and Peter were on the same side. Once Steve was near the boy he crouched down so they were able to look at each other with ease.

"Please don't tell daddy," Peter suddenly spoke up as tears began to collect in his eyes.

"Why not Pete?" Steve asked, his brow knitting together.

"I don't want him to think I'm bad," the little boy stammered as the tears began to fall. "I don't want him to be mad at me for knowing secret things.I don't want him to hate me. I-I wish I didn't know them but they _made_ me know all that stuff. It's not my fault." Peter cried out, covering his small face with his hands.

"Hey now," Steve said calmly as he reached out and pulled the little boy up against his chest. "If Tony knew about this, he wouldn't be mad," Steve said, trying to sooth the boy. "Your dad loves you, you hear me? He wouldn't be mad, just a little worried," Steve said. The little boy was now shaking against his body, and the man couldn't help but feel bad for thinking (even for a moment) that Peter as some sort of threat. He was a little boy who was scared, and who felt safe enough around Steve to tell him the truth.

"He won't be mad that I saw super secret things?" Peter muttered into Steve's side.

"Never." Steve said, squeezing the boy's shoulders. "He won't be mad at you. Just the bad people who had you." Steve explained. "You did nothing wrong though, understand?" Steve asked as he pulled away enough so that he could take Peter's chin in his hand and tilt it up so they were looking at each other. Peter just blinked up at the blonde ban a few times, as if trying to find the right words.

"Okay." Peter sniffed. "But would you help me tell him?"

"Of course Peter," Steve said, wiping away some tears with his thumb. "I'd do anything for you."

* * *

 **Also, Silverink58 did an amazing commission for me! It's from the bathtub scene in Chapter 8 and it's so cute! I honestly can't thank them enough for their hard work on this. It's amazing and warms my heart! (It's the cover of this fic, as well as my new avatar. check it out!)**


	10. Chapter 10

Tony's brain felt like mush as he sat at the conference table. The last four hours had felt like pulling teeth. Hours of talking. Hours of discussing what to do with the people they had found at the base. The one collective conclusion they had come to was that the two children they had found in addition to Peter were going back to Charles Xavier's school. The founder, who was sitting directly in front of Tony, was adamant that his school find suitable homes for the children, with the possibility of looking after them if needed. The conflict came soon after.

The parents of the girls they had found had other ideas from what Charles and his associate had in mind. While Bailey was the easiest of the two to deal with, Samantha's parents were harder to deal with.

In the end, and after two hours of negotiating, it was decided that both girls would be transferred to the school, where they would have their babies in a safe environment. From there, it would be in Xavier's hands.

The families of both girls had exited the room, leaving Tony and Pepper to talk with the two men. There was an extended pause between the two parties before Tony spoke.

"I have to ask," the inventor said as he adjusted himself in his chair. "Peter...my son. Is he a mutant?" Tony asked. It had been so easy for Charles to sense and asses the others, but Peter was never brought up. The bald man cocked his head slightly to one side and gave Tony a soft smile.

"By definition, yes. But we don't have to consider him that," the said carefully. "From what you have told me, his genetic code was altered by scientists. I don't sense any natural mutation in him," Charles explained. "That is not to say that he will not form a mutation later on in life. Either way, if Peter ever needs support from out school, he is always welcome. I'm confident we could help him," Charles said with a kind smile.

"Yeah. Okay. That's great," Tony said, letting out a heavy sigh as he stood up from his seat. Everyone followed his lead and soon they were all standing by the door that lead out of the conference room. "Thanks again for coming out Dr. Xavier," Tony said as he shook his guest's hand. His eyes then suddenly flickered up to Xavier's companion where he gave a small smile. "Dr. McCoy," he said, nodding slightly.

"Our pleasure," Charles replied as he returned the handshake.

"I can help overseen the transfer of the children," Pepper suddenly spoke up. "Make sure everything goes smoothly," She offered, smiling at the two men.

"That would be great. Thank you Mrs. Potts," the man covered in blue fur said as he gripped Xavier's wheelchair.

"Let's keep in contact Tony," the bald man said before the three were walking down the hall, leaving Tony standing alone.

"Yeah, let's do that," the inventor huffed out before running his fingers through his hair and scrubbing at his face with his hands. He was so tired. And even though he wanted to go take a nap, he knew he had responsibilities. Rogers couldn't take care of the kid forever.

Tony first tried the kitchen, but no one was there. The dishes and extra food had all been put away and any evidence that there had been breakfast was gone.

"Peter? Cap?" Tony called out as he moved into the living room, but there was no one in there as well. A frown began to pull at Tony's lips as he checked the bathroom and bedrooms, but neither the boy or the soldier were there.

"Friday?" Tony called out as he walked back into the living room. "Where is Peter and the renegade soldier?" he asked, scrubbing his face.

"Captain Rogers and Peter are in the atrium," Friday responded.

Tony nodded slowly as he made his way out of the private suite and down the hall to the main lobby. The closer he got, though, the more concerned he became. He figured he would hear noise, or something, but it was quiet.

As Tony rounded the corner his eyes landed on the two, sitting at the far end of the room on the windowsill. Their backs were to Tony as they looked out at the lake and forest behind the compound. Steve had something in his hands, and Tony could only assume it was a sketchbook. The blonde suddenly lifted his gaze and looked at Tony for a moment before smiling sheepishly.

"Hey Pete," Steve said as he set down his pencil, only to lean over at tap the boy on his shoulder. The boy turned slightly to look at Steve and a smile spread across the man's face. "Guess who's here to see you?" The once still boy suddenly whirled around and instantly set his eyes on Tony.

Tony's eyebrows suddenly shot up as Peter bounded off the sill and in his direction. He wasn't surprised by Peter's sudden energy, but the fact that the hot-rod red glasses they had picked out the day before were sitting on his face. And honestly, Tony was a little disappointed, because dammit, he was suppose to be there for those moments in Peter's life. Not Steve.

The inventor pushed down his resentment, though, and crouched down to receive the boy who was currently hurtling towards him.

"Daddy, Daddy!" Peter called out as the boy collided with Tony, sending him back on his butt as Tony wrapped his arms around him.

"Hey, who are you? And what did you do with Peter?" Tony asked in mock horror as he reached out and took hold of the glasses, taking them off. "Wait. Don't tell me that _you're_ Peter!" Tony said, letting out a gasp as he ruffled Peter's hair. "I didn't recognize your new glasses. You look like a completely different kid," Tony said, to witch Peter could only laugh.

"You're being silly!" Peter giggled as he took his glasses back, placing them squarely on his face. "Mr. America says I look just like you with them on!" As Peter said this, Tony's heart seemed to skip a beat and his eyes flickered up at Steve before looking back down at his son. Steve caught his gaze and quickly looked away as Tony stood up with Peter in tow.

"Well, he's not wrong. You're like a smaller version of me with those on," Tony chuckled as he led Peter back over to the window where Steve was sitting. "Now, what were you guys doing out here?" Tony asked as he sat down on the sill, leaving a few feet in between him and Steve.

"Well I-" Steve began but was interrupted as Peter crawled up on the sill in between them.

"We got a box while you were gone and it had my glasses in them. Mr. America told me to wait but I couldn't," Peter said as he looked in between the two men. "And then Mr. America said that we should try them out...and maybe go outside. But I-I-I've never been outside before and-" Peter muttered, his speech decreasing in speed as his eyes dropped to his lap. "I was too scared and-"

"I told Peter we could just sit inside and watch everything from here. It's okay to take it slow," Steve said, putting his hand on Peter's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"That's right," Tony said as he pulled Peter closer to him, and away from Steve. "Now what exciting things have you found out here?" Tony asked as Peter leaned into him.

"There's a family of ducks," Peter said after a moment as he looked back outside. "On the side of the lake,"He said as a smile began to grown. "And there are a lot of birds outside. I didn't know there were that many," Peter said as he turned to Tony. "And did you know that it was that green outside?" The little boy asked. "There are so many plants and grass and-" Peter began, going off on a tangent. As he did so Tony looked up at Steve who was watching Peter, and a weird sensation began to form in his chest. He had been having this feeling lately whenever he saw Steve, or Steve and Peter together, and he didn't like it.

"Oh, Daddy! Can we have a plant?" Peter suddenly asked.

"A plant?" Tony asked. "Most kids want a dog or a cat...but you want a plant?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Peter squealed. "Can we do that? I know they stay outside most of the time, but I've seen pictures of some in pots and-"

"If you want a plant, we'll get you a plant, kid. No big deal," Tony said as he patted Peter's back. "Any kind you want?" he asked.

"A christmas cactus!" Peter said almost instantly as he pushed his drooping glasses back up on his face.

"A christmas cactus? How do you even know what that is?" Tony asked.

"I dunno'," Peter said with a shrug. "I saw it in a book. I don't know what it is, but I want it," Peter said as he leaned against Tony.

"Right," Tony sighed. "You read it in a book." With that Tony stood up, picking Peter up with him. "Well, we can look into that plant of yours. But we should probably give Mr. America a break here," Tony said with a smirk. "Thanks for watching him Cap, I appreciate it. We made a lot of headway."

"Yeah, no problem Tony," Steve said as he set down his pad and stood up to watch them leave.

"Bye Mr. America! Come over and play sometime," Peter called over Tony's shoulder as they began to move towards Tony's private suite.

"You hungry Peter Pan?" Tony asked as they made it into the kitchen. "Because this mechanic is starving," He hummed as he set Peter down on the kitchen island before he turned to rifle through the fridge. "How does...cheese quesadillas sound?" he asked, pulling out a giant bag of cheese.

Peter just blinked back at him before nodding. "I've never had a quesadilla...but i'll try it," Peter said with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, don't worry Pete. Theses are a staple in this household. You're gonna love them!" Tony said as he pulled out plates. As Tony was spreading cheese on a tortilla, though, he stopped to look at Peter he was watching him.

"Do you like your glasses Peter? They helpin' you?" He asked. The little boy just looked up at him with a big smile before nodding.

"Yeah! It helps a lot. I can see!" the small boy giggled.

"You know, you really should have waited for me to come before you tried them out. I wanted to be here for it buddy." Tony said as he put the quesadillas into the microwave.

"I'm sorry," Peter said cautiously. "I just...I wanted to try them out. I wanted to surprise you."

"I know," Tony said with a sad smile. "And you did. I was very surprised!"

"It's just that you don't like Mr. America being there instead of you," Peter said, his brow knitting together. Honestly, Tony was so taken back by Peter's perceptiveness that he just stared.

"I-I uh-" Tony floundered. "Mr. America and I just have some issues to work out. That's all. I know he found you and has helped out a lot , and I'm really happy about that. Really happy. But I wanna be there for you too. Okay? Don't forget about your old man," Tony said as he pushed a smile as he ran his hands through Peter's curly locks.

"I won't. I'm sorry," Peter said as the microwave went off.

"No need to be sorry Peter Pan. It's just issues I have to work out," Tony said as he put the two plates next to Peter on the island.

"Why don't you just talk to Mr. America, He's really nice," Peter said, his eyes trained on Tony as the man handed him a plate. "I'm sure he would talk to you," Peter said before looking down at the food, ignoring how Tony stiffened at his suggestion.

"Yeah, I'm sure he would," Tony huffed as he took a bite of his quesadilla. "But that's not for you to worry about, okay? Now eat up!" Tony said, his mouth full of cheese and tortilla.

"But how do I eat it?" Peter asked. The idea of just taking a bite out of it seemed wrong to him.

"Just take a bite out of it," Tony suggested. Peter just shook his head before setting the plate down. From there he proceeded to rip the quesadilla apart into smaller sections, laughing as he tried to keep the melted cheese from falling out of the tortilla. "See, you just made it harder," Tony said, but a smile was now on his face.

"No, I like it," Peter said before pushing a bite size piece into his mouth. The boy's eyes instantly lit up and he looked at Tony with a big toothy smile as some stray cheese stings hung out from the corner of his mouth. "I like this a lot."

* * *

Steve had been conflicted all day. It started with one thing, and then it began to snowball from there. He felt guilty when Peter had tried on the glasses. He insisted that Peter wait, but when Peter said he wanted to surprise Tony, well, he couldn't say no. The boy seemed so eager, he didn't want to dampen his spirits.

When Tony saw Peter with them on, though, he knew that it bothered the man. He wasn't an idiot. He picked up on the way the man was looking at him, almost glairing. He could pick up the annoyance that was radiating off of him. And Steve tried to give him a sympathetic look, to say he was sorry, but Tony was quick to look away everytime. So maybe he was standing outside of Tony's suite to apologize for that. But no, that wasn't it. The thing that brought him here had to do with Peter. Or well...there were two things about Peter he wanted to discuss.

The thing that kept bothering him all day was the secret Peter had told Steve. The fact that he knew classified information about the Avengers. He knew he was betraying Peter's trust by going to Tony. But if Tony found out that he knew, and didn't tell him, it would be just another betrayal. Another thing Steve had kept from Tony.

But, the other thing that was bothering Steve was Peter. The soldier didn't know how to place it, but some things about Peter didn't sit right with him. He wasn't here to necessarily tell Tony that the kid was a threat, but to tell his father that things weren't adding up. And maybe Peter needed help.

All morning Peter had been fretting about telling Tony his secret. Even after getting the glasses, Peter had been quiet and filled with worry. But as soon as he saw Tony it was like a switch had gone off inside the kid. He was happy and smiling, nothing like he was a few minutes before Tony had arrived. Steve tried to ignore it, thinking it was just how kids were, but then he remembered how the kid went from happy to serious in a blink of an eye during breakfast. And not that it was a big deal to Steve, but the kid called him Mr. America, after clearly stating he knew exactly who he was. Was the kid compartmentalizing feelings and behaviors for appropriate times? That couldn't be good for a kid his age.

After pacing back and forth outside the door Steve finally built up enough courage to enter the suite, ignoring the anxiety that pooled in his stomach.

He could hear the TV softly playing from the living room and figured that was were the two were at. It had been a few good hours since he had last seen the two, and he hoped Tony wouldn't be too annoyed to see him after such a short time.

As he rounded the corner, he saw the two lounging by the couch. Peter resting on his stomach, using his Captain America plush as a pillow as he snoozed. Tony, on the other hand, sat on the floor, using the couch as a backrest. Both arms were draped across the couch cushions, his left hand holding Peter's new glasses while his right hand carded through Peter's hair. He looked straight ahead at the TV, though, watching a cartoon that had animated dogs in police and fireman uniforms.

Honestly, the only thought that went through Steve's mind was how domestic Tony looked...and how it was a good fit for him. And as Steve thought this, all he could do was silently stand in the doorway, not sure how to get Tony's attention, because he didn't want to wake Peter. Luckily for Steve, Tony picked up on the other's presence and turned his head to the left, only to see Steve.

The burnett's eyes suddenly widened and he just started at Steve before sharply looking back at the TV screen. The man suddenly removed his hand from Peter's hair and scrubbed at his face before getting up on wobbly legs.

"What did you do to my kid Rogers? We only got through a few episodes of Paw Patrol before he went out like a light," Tony said under his breath as he moved to meet Steve by the doorway.

"He's a kid, and he's had a few rough days, I'm sure it's wiped him out," Steve replied with a small shrug.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tony said with a nod before looking over his shoulder to see if Peter was still asleep, and he was. "So what brings you by Cap? I'm sure you're not here just to say hello," Tony said, quirking an eyebrow. Steve felt the anxiety building in his chest and all he could do was let out a sigh as he nodded.

"Yeah, I was actually wondering if I could talk to you for a second," he asked.

"Sure, let's go into my office," Tony said as he moved past Steve, and down the hall. "Friday, if Peter wakes up, alert me," the inventor instruced.

"Got it boss."

Soon the two were in Tony's private office. Tony sat on top of his desk, facing Steve as he played with Peter's glasses that he was still holding. Steve on the other hand stood against the side of the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at his feet. It was so quiet in the room, and Tony hated it.

"You got something to say Cap?" Tony asked, his eyes still looking down at the glasses.

"Uh, yeah," Steve began hesitantly. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about Peter."

"What about him?" Tony asked, his head snapping up to look at the blonde man.

"I...He was a really good kid for me today. I mean...I know it's only been a few day's since we got him here but...he's doing good," Steve said, struggling to start the conversation.

"Yeah, really great kid. I haven't had a lot of issues yet, but I'm sure they will pop up. They always do. And considering his uh...upbringing, I'm sure those issues will be interesting," Tony said with a sigh as he shook his head.

"Yeah," Steve said in agreement, nodding his head. "Uh...speaking of upbringing, Peter said some things to me this morning that were a little alarming, and I just wanted you to know. I mean, he told me not to tell you, but I wanted you to hear it from me before he says anything. I don't what you to think I'm keeping this from you," Steve started.

"Jesus Christ Rogers, just spit it out! What did the kid say?" Tony said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his right hand.

"Tony," Steve warned, "Peter told me today that he knows classified information about the Avengers and SHIELD. He knows who bucky is, and everyone else on the team. And it's not just who they are, but he probably knows intimate details about their life. And on top that, he says he knows how your old suits work, inside and out," Steve said as he watched Tony.

The man seemed to stiffen at this information. He didn't speak but instead just stared down at the floor with wide eyes.

"Did you just say he knows how my suits work? My old models?" Suddenly his eyes flickered up to Steve and his brow knitted together. "Did he say up to what Mark he knew?" He then asked.

"No, he didn't tell me that, but he says-"

"Shit! God Damnit," Tony said as he began to move his hands around the glasses that were resting in his hands. The color had drained from the man's face, and honestly, Steve was afraid he might just fall over. "The designs for the suits are all heavily encrypted, protected Steve. There is no way, no way, that anyone could have gotten their hands on it. When SHIELD went down, a few files that they had on the suits were put out to the public. But we got rid of those instantly. My AI's monitor for things like that." With that Tony hopped off the desk and began to pace. "And they were crap files anyways. Files I felt comfortable giving to SHIELD without giving away all my secrets so how.." Tony suddenly trailed off, coming to a halt.

"What am I getting so worked up for?" the inventor suddenly asked himself before a light laugh escaped his mouth. "A kid just told you this. But that's just it. He's a kid! I'm sure he thinks he knows everything, but he doesn't. There is absolutely no way." Tony said, turning to look at the other man who was just staring at him.

"I don't know," the soldier warned. "You weren't there. One minute he was smiling and happy, and suddenly I turned around and he was like a completely different kid. I think he's compartmentalizing. We see it all the time Tony. And considering how he's lived his life I think it's something we should-"

"Considering how he's lived his life?" Tony scoffed. "No Shit Rogers! You think the kid isn't going to be a little fucked up? I'm counting on it. But as his guardian now, I'm suppose to deal with it and protect him!"

"Look Tony, all I'm trying to say is I think we should keep an eye on him when it comes to his behaviors. If he-"

"Are you callin' my kid a threat?" Tony suddenly asked as he stepped into Steve's personal space. "Are you saying my kid is some HYDRA sleeper agent?"

"Tony, I'm not saying _that._ I just think-"

"Rogers! He's a child. He's been through horrible things and you're going to tell me we need to monitor him like he's some terrorist?"

"Now hold on a minute Tony I just-" Steve began again but Tony was quick to cut him off. Steve was so flustered. He just wanted to be able to talk to Tony without him going off on him. But Tony was starting to see red, he knew that.

"-And to do that to _my_ kid? I can't-"

" _Your_ kid?" Steve suddenly interrupted. "He may share your DNA, and he may call you dad, but you've only known him for a few days. We don't know what this kid is capable of."

As Steve said this, he could see how hard his statement had hit Tony, and he instantly knew he was in the wrong. He had wounded Tony, and it was a cheap shot.

By this point Tony had worked himself up quite a bit, so much so that he had accidently crumpled Peter's glasses that he was holding. The man looked down at his hands, letting out a curse under his breath as he looked at the glasses. Thank God they had bought another pair.

It was almost unbearable as they stood there in silence. Anger and shame radiating off of the two as they avoided eye contact.

"Tony, I'm sorry," Steve said after a while, breaking the silence. "I shouldn't have said that. It was inappropriate of me. I know you love that kid. I know you're trying your best. I just wanted to tell you this so you knew what was going on. So we could make sure he was getting the help he needed. I love that kid too! I don't think he would ever do anything malicious to us on purpose," Steve said as he watched Tony toss the broken glasses onto his desk.

"Get out of my office Rogers," Tony huffed after Steve had finished speaking. "Get out, go back to your room or something. I'm not dealing with this," Tony said, his eyes flickering up to meet Steve's. "I'm not dealing with your holier-than-thou attitude. Not after Siberia. Not after you left me for dead," Tony said in a tone that was maybe a little too calm.

"You wanted to come back here to make sure those other kids got taken care of. Well, that's done. And I dealt with it on my own, as per usual. So there is no reason for you to stay here." As Tony spoke, he slowly started making his way towards the door to leave. "And don't forget, you're still a wanted criminal."

"Look, I just want to make sure that we can-"

" _We?"_ Tony interjected, his voice suddenly climbing in volume. "No,no, no, Rogers. There is no we. You made that _very_ clear when you shoved your shield through my suit. Now two years ago? Maybe. I thought we had something going for us, but that Steve Rogers is gone. I don't think I'll ever get him back" Tony said as he reached for the doorknob.

"Tony, you weren't thinking rationally, I had to help Bucky. I-"

"Liar!" Tony spat. "It wasn't me or him, it could have been both. But you made your choice," and with that Tony walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.


End file.
